Tag Team
by jweaks2016
Summary: One and a half years after the Night Howler incident, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde have made quite a name for themselves as ZPD's finest. However, when a mysterious group of four starts attacking the police force, Judy and Nick must watch each other's backs as they attempt to stop these criminals. They wouldn't let anything happen to each other. Not when they feel the way they do...
1. Friendly Banter

**Hey! You! Yeah! You there! Behind that screen! You clicked on this story, and for that, I'm thrilled. You like Zootopia and its growing fandom, and so do I, so let's get right down to it.**

 **A little bit about me, if you care (and if you don't, then skip on ahead to the non-bolded stuff. I do this to signify when I'm doing an author's note). I like to think of myself as pretty experienced when it comes to writing on this site. I've written multiple stories for Kung Fu Panda and Sonic the Hedgehog (not those wacky and messed up stories that I've seen, but humors, action filled, fun ones that have actually been pretty successful, to my surprise). I've got a busy schedule when it comes to updating those two (and now this one) while balancing school, sports and continuing the college search (I'm a senior in high school as of right now), but you can bet your grandma that I'll update as soon as I can. Now I know this can be a dirty word on this site, but let's talk about OCs *cringe*. I've done my research, so I know how to portray the characters pretty well. No major characters in the story will be OCs, with the exception of some criminals to keep it interesting. Any OC that may appear in this story will be some random bystander, source, witness, etc. Expendable characters like that.**

 **Now by now, if you're still reading this (why?), you're probably thinking "This guy never shuts up! His notes are so long. The story'll never start! My jimmies are so rustled!" Well buckle your metaphorical seat belts (unless you're reading this in a car) and make sure you're good to go. If you need to get a drink, stop right here (RIGHT HERE) and go do that now. I'll be waiting. Got it? Good. Now, let's go…**

…

 **Oh yeah, and this is my first story in the fandom, so haters, hold off for a little, m'kay?**

*Around one and a half years after Judy's big case*

"Look, Carrots, all I'm sayin' is that it wouldn't hurt to take the squad car every once in a while," Nick Wilde rebutted to his fluffy partner as the two walked the beat through Sahara Square. "I could even drive, if ya wanted."

Judy Hopps smirked and kept her gaze straight ahead as the two continued on their path through the streets of Zootopia. Things had been pretty calm for the two officers ever since they had closed the Night Howler case a while back. Judy no longer had parking duty, and as long as she kept her sometimes lackadaisical partner by her side, she and Nick could patrol the city as much as they wanted. Being a rabbit, the bunny officer loved to be on her feet, but her foxy friend wasn't too keen on the idea.

"I wouldn't trust you to drive a go-kart, Nick," She replied with a giggle. "Don't be so whiny! I mean, come on! You can't get this feeling or this view from the inside of some musty, dusty cruiser!"

"We literally walk through here almost every day. Unless some building gets bulldozed, I don't think the view is gonna change at all," Came the cool, yet slightly annoyed response. "Hey, hold up. I need more coffee."

Another thing about the fox was that he was definitely not a morning animal. It took text bombing to get Judy's partner awake sometimes, but Nick would eventually arrive at the station on time whether he liked it or not.

"You had some before we left the station!" The peppy cop exclaimed. "How much caffeine does it take to get you awake?"

Nick waltzed up to a small coffee cart and ordered a regular cup of straight black, good ol' Joe. Slapping three ones on the counter and putting on his sunglasses to block out the glare of the morning sun, the fox lifted the Styrofoam cup off of the metallic counter and blew across the top, sending the scent of coffee right towards Judy's nose. Smirking, Nick downed half of the liquid before walking back to the side of his partner and continuing their stroll.

"I'll drink enough to flood your parents' carrot farm if I have to," The former con-artist snorted, wagging a finger at his fuzzy friend. "You don't want me to fall asleep on the job, do you Whiskers? That'd be a violation of police conduct, and I know how firm you are on police conduct."

Judy rolled her eyes and contained a smile. "Stuff it, Wilde."

The orange animal smirked and moved the cup back and forth in front of her eyes. "Somebunny's a little grumpy this morning. Does Judy want some coffee-woffee?"

The rabbit calmly moved her partner's arm out of her face, deciding to pull a move out of her friend's own playbook in order to get him to shut up.

"Maybe instead of focusing your attention on me, Nicholas, you should search for criminals," She stated in the most soothing voice she could.

Nick was mid sip when Judy made that comment. He sharply inhaled while he was drinking and held the coffee away from him as he began violently coughing and hacking, doing his best to expel the caffeinated beverage from his lungs.

Officer Hopps turned her eyes back on the streets, mentally pleased with herself for giving her partner a dose of his own medicine. In all the time that they spent around one another while on and off duty, she acknowledged that he had rubbed off on her some, and vice versa.

The two continued to their patrol in silence for a little before Wilde spoke up again, much to Judy's both pleasure and dismay.

"Clawhauser still drooling over Gazelle?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Yeck."

Judy scowled. "He can be interested in anyone he wants. I think it's cute he's oogling over another species. Try everything, remember?"

"Everything except your parents' carrot cake," Nick countered with a wry smile, slightly changing the subject.

"What's wrong with my folks' carrot cake? It's delicious!"

Officer Wilde scoffed. "You're not supposed to put entire carrots in the cake!"

Judy scrunched up her face and twitched her tiny nose in frustration. "How else are you supposed to make it?"

"Not like that, I can tell ya that much."

"You're one to talk, Wilde, with your deep fried crickets and yo—"

" _Attention any and all officers near Sahara Square, we've get a one-fifty. Suspect reportedly stole two hand bags and a watch from local pedestrians. Last seen heading towards East Longhorn Street. Be advised, he is presumably armed. Repeat, he may be armed and dangerous,"_ The walkies on both of them crackled, interrupting Judy's upcoming tangent on the fox's eating habits.

"That's not far from here!" Judy exclaimed, becoming ecstatic at the news of activity. "Come on!"

Nick quickly downed the rest of his drink before tossing the empty cup in the trash and running after his partner, who was much faster than him. Panting and huffing, the fox eventually closed the gap between him and Judy once she came to a screeching halt at the corner of East Longhorn Street. Looking around quickly, they didn't see much activity. It appeared that the criminal had already taken off. However, the cry of a female pig soon put them back on the crook's trail.

"Thief! Someone help me! He stole my purse, that mangy cat! Thief! Anyone! Police!" She called out, carrying on and on and pointing down an alleyway between two buildings.

The two officers sprinted towards that direction, following the same path that the thief had taken and turned left to find a cornered feline. He had three purses slung over his shoulder with a golden watch dangling out from the side pocket of one of the hand bags. The cat was frantically looking for a way out, but found no doors or windows that would help him.

"Freeze! ZPD police! Get your hands where I can see them!" Judy ordered as she and Nick closed in on the crook, blocking off his escape.

The dirty brown cat whirled around to face the two officers before giving them a hardened stare and digging out a switchblade from his tattered, old and baggy pants. He flicked his wrist slightly, and a pointed edge shot out from its wooden case.

"Back off. I'd hate to use this," He threatened.

"Look, Whiskers. He's got a butter knife," Nick jeered. "What're ya gonna do? Chop onions?"

"Nick! Shut it!" His bunny comrade hissed before taking another step towards the criminal. "Put the knife down! There's no way out!"

"I need this loot to pay my rent, Cottontail," The feline spat. "I won't say it again! Back off!"

"He's not gonna drop the blade," The ex-con whispered to Judy, unlatching a pouch on his belt and pulling out a plastic gun. "Telling him to give up isn't gonna work, and I'm not about to wrestle the knife away from him. I'd like to keep my face unscratched."

The officer aimed the object at the cornered thief and pulled the trigger, commanding two metal hooks to shoot out from the muzzle of the gun and latch on to the crook's chest, sending an electric shock through the cords that were attached and forcing the cat to the ground. Judy cautiously made her way over and kicked the knife away before handcuffing the captured suspect. While his little dumb bunny called for backup so that they could bring the criminal back to the station for booking, Nick smirked as he holstered his Taser and wiped his knuckles on his shirt.

"All in a day's work, I'd say," He stated with his signature cool and composed look.

"Not my first choice of capture, but…" Judy sighed, looking up and giving him a small smile. "Whatever works, I guess."

The bunny could practically see her friend's ego and pride swell within him at her comment. It surprised her a little that her words had that much of an effect on her friend.

"Now about my parents' carrot cake…"

Nick groaned and smacked himself on the forehead with the palm of his hand.

 **So that's that! "Oh it was so short! Are all of his chapters gonna be that small?" I know those doubts and thoughts are creepin' into your minds. Just get them outta here. Don't be having none of that! To answer that…NO. My chapters will not always be that short. This is a test chapter to see how this story does. I always do this. I've gotta build up the main conflict of the story, so just sit tight. I've gotta get everything rolling.**

 **So I see you just getting ready to book it outta here. Just like "Welp, the chapter is over now, so I'm movin' on!" I wanna tell you to STOP! No! I see that mouse moving! That cursor better not click off of this page! Don't do it! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter and of this story as a whole so far by leaving a review. It'll help me improve this story and give me feedback as to whether you want this story to continue or not. If you favorite or follow this story right off the bat, I may send a virtual hug your way (unless you hate metaphorical or physical contact of any sort. In that case, a simple thanks is in order).**

 **Anyways, as my usual slogan for all my stories goes, more to come… (hopefully, that is).**


	2. Ego Deflation

**Alright, so I posted the story a couple nights ago and didn't check up on its stats until a few hours ago. Are you guys trying to give me a heart attack? The views, favorites and follows are INSANE. My Gmail that's linked to my account was slammed! The whole thing is "cray-cray" as the kids would say these days. *Grabs cane and puts dentures in***

 **Seriously, though, you're a square one beast for continuing to read this story.**

 **And I match your brother with an imaginary one that I don't have (since I'm an only child) and raise you my sweaty uncle. Your turn, 15delgizzij.**

*About thirty minutes later, back at the precinct*

"Wilde!"

Nick's forehead clunked against his desk at the sound of Chief Bogo's booming, yet commanding voice. He knew exactly what his boss was going to ask him. It was the same question every time he helped catch a perp.

After he and Judy had gotten back to the police station and detained the literal cat burglar, his bunny friend submitted the stolen goods to evidence for clearance before they would be distributed back to their rightful owners. The fox had the exhilarating and ever-so-delightful job of filling out the after-action reports, to which he completed begrudgingly and turned in to Clawhauser.

"Where's your paperwork on that theft case?" Bogo questioned, towering over Nick. "You did complete it, right?"

Apparently the leopard hadn't gotten around to handing the sheets in yet. He was probably too busy panting over a picture of his superstar crush.

"Both Judy and my reports are with Clawhauser, Chief," The fox responded flatly. "Like always."

The cape buffalo snorted. "Right. I'll check with him. Good work today, Wilde."

"Thanks, Chief."

The hulking animal marched off towards the receptionist area, leaving a bored fox behind. The officer sighed as he looked around the room at his coworkers who were scrambling to finish their work on time. Another positive about working with the busy bunny was that his paperwork was always turned in on time due to her nagging. Diligence. That was another thing that Nick admired about Judy, but he would never say that to her face. He'd never hear the end of it. So, he mentally filed that under the category of "things never to see the light of day."

"Hey, partner!" Said rabbit cheered, jogging up to him and lightly punching his shoulder. "Ready to head back out there and protect the citizens of Zootopia?"

"Well, my feet stopped screaming at me for a break, so I guess I'm good to go," The ex-con stated smugly, rising from his chair and walking with his friend towards the station's entrance.

Along the way, they passed Officer Clawhauser, who had just gotten off the phone with the new mayor of the city, Mayor Hippotsky.

"How're the phone lines today, Ben?" Judy asked, stopping in front of his desk and placing a paw on her hip.

"Pretty good. Just set up a meeting between the Chief and the Mayor to discuss the crime drop in the city!" The secretary replied, then suddenly became very giddy. "Also, I've got word that Gazelle is doing a concert one week from tomorrow! I'm gonna try to get tickets!"

"See if you can get three," Nick said, holding up three fingers and smirking. "Want us to bring you back some doughnuts? Judy's buying."

A sharp elbow to his side made the fox officer clamp his mouth shut and blow air out of his nose to keep from yelping in pain. Judy rolled her eyes and gave the leopard a small salute.

"Don't have any money on me right now, Ben, but we'll be sure to bring back something for ya. After all, Nick got his check a couple days ago," She laughed, waving to her friend as the two walked out the door.

* * *

*That evening, with Chief Bogo*

The tired chief of police pulled into his driveway and turned his car off, leaning back into the fuzzy seat and breathing a sigh of exhaustion. In a few days, he'd meet with the new mayor of Zootopia to converse about the excellent dive in the crime rates, and he knew he had to be prepared for that. Obviously, Hippotsky would want to know the status of ZPD's two best cops, Officers Hopps and Wilde, so he'd have to check in with the two of them tomorrow and gather some details that he could present in the conference.

Getting out of his vehicle, Bogo shut the door and locked it before breathing in the cold night air. Looking around at the lights on the homes in his neighborhood, the chief felt a sense of peace come over him. Things were going great at work and at home. Life was good, as the bumper stickers would say.

Walking into his house, the cape buffalo greeted his wife with a hug and a kiss on the cheek before asking what was for dinner. Making his way over to his study, the police chief hung his jacket on a hook behind a chair and desk before plopping down in front of his computer. Moving the mouse slightly, his screensaver came up, showing him, his wife and their newborn son at the local hospital.

Eight months back, the Mrs. had given birth to a beautiful baby buffalo named Ayo, which meant "full of joy." The name was his idea. Aside from his wife, Bogo's son was the light of his life and the chief looked forward to seeing him every day when he came home from work. Currently, the infant was asleep upstairs, and the head of the ZPD didn't dare wake him. Instead, he decided to check his email while he waited for supper.

"Honey?" Bogo's wife called, rounding the corner and walking in with a stack of envelopes. "You got some mail today."

The chief snorted in contempt as he saw the stacks of bills that were waiting to be opened. Taking the papers from her, he thanked his wife before she left the room to check on dinner. The police chief sifted through the different envelopes, tossing some to the side that he knew were bills. A light blue envelope caught his eyes amidst the sea of white ones, and he pulled it out from the stack to examine it. It had no return address and only had the basic information on it in order for it to be delivered. Tearing it open, the chief raised an eyebrow when a tiny flash drive fell out and nothing else.

 _What's a flash drive doing in an envelope?_ Bogo thought, picking it up and plugging it into the USB port in the side of his computer. _Hope this doesn't contain a virus…_

The flash drive icon appeared on his screen, and the cape buffalo double clicked it, bringing up the file with its contents inside. What was in there only furthered his surprise. A single audio log was attached to the piece of hardware. Plugging in some headphones, the chief cautiously put the ear muffs on his head and pressed play.

" _Bogo the buffalo sits behind his desk,"_ A warped and distorted voice began. _"Emitting a stench that is ever grotesque…"_

The chief shook his head, unamused. It was just some thugs trying to insult him again. He got these every few months.

" _With a hardened glare he strikes fear in all, which blinds him from his future downfall. Soon he will suffocate in a cloud of doom, while little Ayo sleeps soundly in his room…"_

The police chief's expression turned to stone, getting a shiver down his spine at the mention of his son's name. He quickly paused the recording and ripped off his headphones, storming out of his study and up the stairs to his son's room, ignoring his wife's questions as to what he was doing. Reaching Ayo's room at the end of the hallway, Bogo flung open the door to find…nothing. His son was still asleep, despite the commotion. Everything was just as it always was.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the cape buffalo quietly shut the door before walking back downstairs.

"What was that all about, Honey?" His wife asked, worry clearly showing on her face.

"Nothing…Um…It was nothing, Dear. I was just checking on our son," He assured, walking back to his computer and flopping down.

Placing the headphones back on his head, he saw that there was only six seconds left in the recording. He might as well finish listening to what these fools had to say. It already caused him enough trouble. He pressed play once more.

" _But while Bogo left his study to roam, he failed to see us outside of his home."_

The chief shot out of his chair and flung the headphones to the side for the second time, grabbing a tranquilizer gun he kept in the upper left drawer of his desk before marching to the front door. Looking out the window, he didn't see anybody out there waiting for him, but that didn't make him any calmer. They could be hiding.

Slowly opening the door, Bogo stepped outside into the cool night and looked around, finding nothing. Making his way off of his porch, the officer of the law didn't see anything that would raise concern.

Nothing except his car, which was engulfed in flames and spewing smoke into the black night.

* * *

*With Judy and Nick, twenty minutes later, at Bogo's home*

The furry duo soon arrived to the chaotic scene that had unfolded at their boss' home. The fire department had arrived to quickly put out the scorching bonfire that was Bogo's car, but the damage had been done. The cape buffalo wasn't going to be able to drive that thing anymore. Some officers had already arrived, however the chief had specifically called for Nick and Judy to appear before him. To Judy, this was a great honor, but to Nick, it was torture. Why request him in the dead of night? It would take a lot more coffee the next morning to get him up and running.

Judy was already decked out in her police uniform and looked like she had quickly cleaned up before speeding on over. Nick, however, was a mess. His fur was clumped together and sticking out in random places, bags hung under his eyes, his breath could melt steel at the moment, his B.O. could kill flies and he had haphazardly thrown on the only clean shirt he had: his signature green Hawaiian one. He looked like he had just risen from the crypt.

"Don't bother with the usual routine of questions, Hopps," Their boss said with a mixture of anger and exhaustion as the two approached him. "I've already given my statement and I might as well fill the rest of the paperwork out myself. It'll take my mind off of…this."

"No offense, Chief, but if we're not here to get a statement, then what's the reason for dragging me out of bed?" Officer Wilde groaned, receiving a small scowl from his fuzzy bunny partner.

"I want you two to find out who did this. They obviously knew how I would react to what they said and planned this whole thing with the utmost precision," Bogo stated, handing Judy the flash drive. "See if you can get any of the guys from the tech lab to decode who's voice this is."

"Will do, Chief!" She exclaimed, giving a stern salute before walking back to her car with Nick close behind. "What're your thoughts, Nick?"

"I think someone has it in for the Chief. Frankly, I don't half blame 'em," He huffed. "Dragging me outta bed just to be sent home..."

"I meant if you knew anyone who would do this? You used to walk on the wrong side of the law, so do you know anyone who would do anything like this?"

The orange animal gave his partner a deadpan look. "You're asking a guy who scammed people out of their money by reselling Pawsicles if he knows anyone who'd torch something just for payback?"

Judy winced and rubbed the back of her head, realizing that she was probably asking the wrong type of ex-criminal.

"The answer's yes," Nick sighed, much to the rabbit's surprise. "But can we please go home and get some sleep? My fumes are running on fumes."

His partner agreed.

As the two made their way back to their cars, Judy opened the driver's door and stopped, turning to face her foxy friend. "Hey! Nick!"

Her suave partner did a one-eighty and raised an eyebrow, giving her the same cool, tired and handsome expression he always did.

"Be careful on your way home, alright?" She called.

He folded his arms and flashed his sharp, white fangs at her. "I'm a predator, remember? It's you who needs to be careful, Whiskers. Lucky for you, that's why I'm around."

He gave her a quick wink before climbing into his car, starting the engine and driving off into the night. Officer Hopps shook her head and smiled widely before sitting down in the driver's seat of her car and turning it on.

"Egotistical fox…" She murmured with a grin.

 **Woah! This chapter was more suspenseful than the last! What's going on? Why was Bogo's car torched? Could this have anything to do with the super important story summary that I had written underneath the title? Find out in the next chapter!**

 **You all are great for sticking around to read this chapter. High fives all around! But yes, some things have changed in a year and a half. Bogo has a kid now and because of that, he's a little softer inside. Not much, but like, an atom softer. Maybe more than that, but you know what I mean.**

 **"Oh this story has an OC! Ayo was never in the movie!" Uh...I said only minor characters could be OCs. Literally, he got two or three mentions and was sleeping for the whole time. If you think that majorly impacts the plot, well alright then.**

 **NOTE: FanFiction is being a chode right now and isn't displaying my story on the first page where all of the stories that are either recently published or updated come in. I don't know why this is, but FF needs to fix this. Otherwise my story might not get seen by others. For example, my first chapter had over 200 views in two hours. I posted and then re-posted this chapter to see if I could fix the error, and the views from both of those combined add up to about 35-42 total views. FF, I'mma find you for this.**

 **Since this chapter introduced Chief Bogo and Clawhauser into the storyline, please let me know in the reviews what you thought of their character portrayal. Again, I aim to please! If anything needs tweaking, I'll go back and edit it, because I have nothing else to do! Well, that's a lie. I'm actually a huge procrastinator when it comes to school work. Don't you judge me!**

 **So, due to the tremendous response this story got in chapter one, there will be more to come…**


	3. A Way with Women

**I'm gonna be straight up honest with you all, home cheeses. I did NOT expect this story to take off the way it did. I don't know when I'll stop being shocked and just go "Huh. That's pretty cool," but right now, I'm happier than Leo after he won his Oscar. Alright, maybe not THAT thrilled, but I am super psyched.**

 **I do hope FF stopped smelling paint and decides to put my story as one of the recently updated ones, since it failed to do that last time. If it doesn't, then I'm gonna go ape up in this place.**

 **I'll pawn off my nasty Physics teacher who'll do his best to fail you, if ya want that. Aside from him, I really have no other pawns I'd like to play. So I guess you win, bud.**

 **Now…ONWARD!**

*The next day, at the tech lab*

Judy and Nick stood outside the double doors to the ZPD technology laboratory, not really sure what to do next. Neither of them had ever been here before.

After they had gone home and gotten some rest, the bunny pulled her partner away from the coffee machine and drove over to see if anything could be pulled from the flash drive. Nick slept the whole way, so the rabbit officer had to maneuver the car as they traveled so as not to disturb the orange fox. At one point, when she made a right turn, his head lolled to the left so that he was resting on her shoulder. When they arrived at their destination, Judy snapped a photo of the scene before waking her partner up. It took him a few minutes to compose himself and get rid of his feeling of embarrassment.

"So this is where all the nerds go to fight crime," Officer Wilde whispered.

"Nick!"

"What?"

Judy rolled her eyes with a smile and walked towards the doors, motioning for her friend to follow. Approaching the entrance, the two stepped inside and let the doors close behind them. An intense feeling of awkwardness washed over both of them as all of the workers in the room turned and stared at the cops. More specifically, since all of the employees seemed to be of the male gender, much to Nick's disappointment, all eyes were on Judy.

"Everyone," The ex-con exclaimed, breaking the silence and motioning towards his bunny buddy. "This is what's called a girl. You may not have seen one before, but they don't bite."

The rabbit smacked him in the stomach, making him wince.

"Well, this one might."

"We're Officers Hopps and Wilde from the ZPD. Is there anyone here who can help us decode a disguised voice on a flash drive?" Judy announced.

Every single hand in the room shot up at once.

"I'll help you, dear," A feminine voice called out from their right.

The two officers turned to see a short beaver huddled up by a computer. She was covered in brown fur and had secretary glasses gingerly placed on her face. Her desk was a complete mess, making Judy wonder how anyone could ever go through the day with a station like that. Then she remembered Nick and his work area.

"These boys just drool over every girl they see walk in here," The mammal sighed as they walked over. "I'm Adrienne. You said something about a flash drive?"

Judy nodded and handed over the piece of hardware, retelling what happened to Chief Bogo and what was supposedly on the USB. The whole time, the beaver listened intently and nodded, soaking in the details. After the bunny was finished, Adrienne plugged the flash drive into her computer and pulled up a program that looked so complicated, it made Nick's brain hurt. As the cryptic message played, sound waves were displayed on the monitor with various numbers appearing and disappearing beneath it. Faces of known criminals rapidly flashed by as the system tried to match the voice to an animal.

"This may take a little bit, and I have to make an errand. Would you two like to come with and take a small tour of the lab?" The scientist asked, to which she received an excited "yes" from Judy and a head shake from Nick.

"I'll just sit here and wait for this thing to get done," He sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Party pooper," Officer Hopps teased as she walked off with Adrienne.

The fox playfully stuck his tongue out and watched her disappear through another set of doors. The ex-criminal sighed before turning back to face the horde of male employees, who were still staring at the door that Judy had walked through. Nick let out a sharp whistle, capturing their attention.

"Don't you guys have jobs to do? Go back to camping…or being sweaty…or whatever you do all day," He chided. "And if I see one tongue flop out of one of your geeky mouths, I'll have no trouble coming over there and shov—"

The fox's tirade was cut off by his phone buzzing. Whipping it out, he saw the name "Clawhauser" flash across the bottom of the screen with a picture of the large leopard mushing his cheeks together sitting above the digital text. He pressed "Answer."

"What's up, Spots?"

 _"How're things going at the tech lab?"_ Ben asked form the other end.

"Alright, all things considering, but I don't think the guys here like me telling them to stop panting over Judy. They're probably writing angry posts about me on Tumbfur."

He heard the secretary chuckle over the line. _"And why would you have an issue with that?"_

"Listen, Clawhauser. I know what you're thinking, so cut it out. I just don't want all these testosterone infused brainiacs jumping all over my partner without getting to know some of her more redeeming qualities," Nick defended. "I'm her friend and, by default, I have a say in who gets to get close to her or not."

 _"Sure,"_ Ben snorted, containing his laughter. _"That's the reason."_

"Is there a purpose for this call, Spots?" The fox snapped, his face heating up in embarrassment and anger.

 _"Um…yeah,"_ The leopard replied hesitantly, suddenly becoming serious. _"Several officers' bank accounts were just drained about an hour ago. Not one cent was left. Some of those scientists in there with you had gotten back to us about ten minutes ago. No trace. No digital footprint."_

"Alright. Think this has any tie to who trashed Bogo's car?" Nick questioned, seeing Judy and Adrienne come back through the doors out of the corner of his eye.

 _"Two attacks on the ZPD within ten hours? It has to be, Nick,"_ Ben confirmed, sounding worried. _"What if they come after me next? I'm just lucky that I still have my check so I can buy Gazelle tickets."_

"You're a goofball secretary who hasn't said boo to anyone since you've been on the force, Spots. Nobody's got a grudge against you, so I wouldn't sweat it too much," The fox sighed. "Look, I'll relay it to Whiskers and we'll add that to our large to-do list, m'kay?"

After he'd hung up the phone, he turned around to find Judy giving him a confused look. Explaining that he'd tell her when they got back in the car, the two cops turned their attention back to the computer screen, which had a flashing red text on it that said "No Matches."

"Well, as you guys can see, the computer didn't come up with anything. Whoever did the encryption is really skilled," The mammal stated. "Sorry, but I've done all I can do. Let me know if I can do anything else to help."

The beaver unplugged the flash drive and handed it back to the officers before bidding them farewell. Judy and Nick left the building no better off than they started, getting into the car and buckling their seatbelts. The bunny turned to her partner and looked him dead in the eye, making the orange animal shift slightly in his seat.

"So what's the deal? Who was that on the phone?" She asked.

"My supermodel girlfriend that I haven't told you about until now," Nick replied with his signature cocky smirk.

Judy snorted, popping his pride like a balloon. "Come on. Stop messing with me."

"Clawhauser," The ex-con said, giving in. "A few bank accounts belonging to ZPD officers were hacked and drained about an hour ago. Nothing left behind to track. Ben, and I would guess the Chief too, think these two attacks are related."

The rabbit nodded slowly, processing the new information. "All we have left to go on right now is your arson friend."

"She's not really a friend. More like an acquaintance."

"She?"

"Jealous?"

Judy huffed and lightly punched him in the arm before starting the cruiser up. "In your dreams, Wilde."

* * *

*About thirty minutes later, in the urban areas of Sahara Square*

"So this is where she lives?" Judy questioned, taking in the somewhat lavish home in front of her. "For a criminal, it's pretty…fancy."

The two gazed at the large structure in front of her. The place looked like a palace compared to her apartment, and the grass was the greenest she'd seen in a while. It seemed somewhat out of place amongst the usual medium sized homes in the area. She could even see a pool built into the ground at the back of the house.

"Used to be an arsonist for hire before she retired. You go through old reports for kicks and giggles, right? Remember any old cases pertaining to arson?" Nick questioned, inspecting his old acquaintance's house.

"Some…And I don't read old reports for fun! It's just good to brush up on old cases to find patterns in new ones!" The partner defended, placing her paws on her hips and contorting her face.

The fox shrugged, walking up to the front porch and ringing the doorbell. "Now just let me do the talking, alright? She's not a real big fan of Bogo or any cop in general."

The two stood outside, waiting for a few minutes before the ex-con rang the doorbell again. After a couple seconds, the large oak door finally opened, revealing a female deer dressed in a sparkling red dress. She had a miffed expression on her face upon seeing the two cops and gave Nick a thorough examination from his head to his hind legs. Judy's eyebrows lowered in contempt.

"Nicholas Wilde…" She cooed, smirking at him before backhanding him across the face. "You have some nerve showing your smug face again."

Judy stepped forward to intervene, but her partner stuck his arm out to stop her.

"I deserved that," He stated in a pained voice. "Brianna, I—"

"That was for taking my cut of our last deal," She huffed, cutting him off before slapping him again. "And that one's for leaving me to deal with the cops."

"Ma'am, as much as my partner may have deserved that, I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from hitting him anymore until you answer a few questions about a recent case," The bunny cop explained, ducking underneath the fox's arm and stepping in between the two. "ZPD officers Judy Hopps and, as you already know, Nick Wilde. May we come in?"

Brianna looked from Nick, to Judy and then back to the former criminal. "Oh how cruel irony can be. Sure, you can come in. I'll have my husband make some beverages."

"Husband?" Nick repeated, following the deer into the house with Judy at his side. "Since when did you get married?"

Not answering his question, the old arsonist rounded the corner and wrapped her right arm around a large, hulking, orange Bengal tiger, who was texting furiously. The animal had blue jeans on with a white shirt that clung to his bulked body. A loose flannel was draped over his shoulder, and upon seeing the two police officers, he raised his eyebrows and put his phone away.

"Company? Were we expecting people?" The predator asked, looking down at his wife before back at the fox and rabbit. "I'm so sorry. Manners. Bengalio Tigre. And you are?"

"Very, very surprised," Nick murmured, extending his paw and shaking it with the massive tiger. "Brianna, you married a predator?"

"Problem, Nick?" She hissed. "It's not illegal, ya know. Just looked down upon."

"However, with a reputation like my wife's…we don't get bothered much," Bengalio added, noticing the police uniforms of his two guests. "Please, officers. Have a seat. I'll make some drinks. I assume the lady wants carrot juice?"

Judy nodded, both pleased and confused at the tiger's behavior. It was completely different to that of the deer's, from what she's seen so far, but the girl's anger was almost fully directed at Nick. Once they sat down in the living room, which was well furnished, she got right to the questions.

"So, how do you know my partner?" She asked, receiving a scoff from the girl.

"On occasion, in order to make some money, he'd contact me asking for my assistance with a scheme of his. It'd usually be along the lines of me burning something small of some animal's and then him conveniently showing up a few days afterwards selling replacements for said destroyed objects. That was before he moved on from that and went to more non-destructive forms of conning," Brianna explained. "Didn't see him all that much, but we collaborated. Split the profit."

"So what happened that you two had a falling out?" The rabbit officer pressed.

Nick wasn't very open about himself in general. Sharing his past with her had been a major step for him, but he really hadn't let on to anything major since. He always asked about her and her life, which Judy appreciated, however when the roles were reversed, the fox usually steered the conversation elsewhere. She could finally get some more information on her partner's past, even if it was about a bleak stage in his life. To her right, she saw the fox pull at his collar in nervousness.

"On our last deal, Nicky over here was careless, and got the cops on his trail. Not thinking, he fled back to where I was, bringing the police with him. I wasn't giving him any sanction, so he took my cut and ran off, leaving me to talk to the ZPD and eventually get arrested as a co-conspirator," The deer sighed, finishing her tale and turning to the pale fox. "And as for spending time around predators, Nick, I think you better take a census of who's around you before you judge."

"Hey! I have no issues with interspecies…uh…things? Besides, we're just friends," Nick replied hastily as his armpits began to show sweat stains. "Now, can we please get to the reason why we're here?"

"Pardon," Bengalio murmured, stepping past the two officers and setting a tray of drinks on the coffee table. "Carrot juice for Officer…Hopps, is it?"

Judy nodded and accepted the glass.

"Water for you, dear. No pun intended, of course," The tiger hummed, chuckling at his own statement. "And Officer Wilde, I didn't know what you liked, so I just made some lemonade. I hope you find it satisfactory."

"Do I have to drink it with my pinkie extended?" The fox asked, dodging an elbow from his bunny buddy.

"Thank you, sir. Now, Mrs. Tigre, we're here to ask a few questions about a recent act of arson committed last night," Judy explained. "Our boss, Chief Bogo, had his car burned and mutilated. We were wondering if you had any information on that."

"Boy, Nick's sure quick to point the finger. Hasn't changed a bit," Brianna spat, rolling her eyes. "No, sweety. I had nothing to do with it. Ask my husband. I was home the whole night."

The peppy rabbit was starting to get sick of this deer bagging on Nick. Sure, he had done her wrong in the past, but this lady could sure hold a grudge. The fox had proven himself that he could change, but that didn't seem to affect Brianna.

"It's true," Tigre confirmed. "We were playing Monopawly."

"Fun never stops at this place…" Judy heard her friend mutter underneath his breath.

"Would you know of anyone who may have admired what you did in the past, Mrs. Tigre? They may be trying to recreate some of your past works," She continued.

"Honey, I've made plenty of enemies, but no admirers. I turned myself around in jail and walked away from that life a while ago."

The two realized that they'd hit another dead end. They weren't getting any new information out of Brianna, so Judy and Nick decided it'd be best if they went back to the precinct and review where they've been. Thanking the two for their time, the officers started to make their way to the door.

Bengalio's phone started buzzing once more. "Excuse me. Very sorry, but I have to take this."

Waving goodbye to the cops, he disappeared down the hall and into the living room where they once were, leaving Judy with the pleasure of ending their visit with the Mrs.

"If you have any information, please contact us," The bunny stated before walking away from the home of the Tigre's and getting into the police car with her partner. "Another dead end."

"Well, I'm sure we'll figure something out, Whiskers. We always do," Nick assured, buckling his seat belt and smirking. "You, uh…wanna review the case over at my place for tonight? Over dinner? I can use what's left of my paycheck that wasn't spent on getting Clawhauser his doughnuts to buy some delivery."

Judy agreed, and soon the two were heading back to the ZPD station. For most of the trip, the two had been silent, listening to radio chatter between different police officers. Judy decided to break the ice.

"So…She seemed nice," The bunny giggled, looking at her suave comrade. "I had no idea you had such a way with women."

"Hardy har har, Carrots," He deadpanned, giving her a look out of the corner of his eyes.

"You were sweating quite a lot back there."

"You know how awkward that situation was? Explaining to her massive husband how I screwed over his wife by leaving her for the police and having her get thrown in prison?" The orange animal questioned. "Besides, it was a little toasty in there."

"And it had nothing to do with the fact that they were in an interspecies relationship?"

Judy saw some reaction that she couldn't quite figure out in time flash across Nick's face, which was quickly replaced by a smug grin and a rise in his eyebrows as he turned to face her.

"You're awfully persistent on finding out my stance on that subject, aren't ya, Carrots?" He chuckled.

"It's a big issue in today's society!" She exclaimed, pulling into the ZPD parking lot and turning off the car. "What's wrong with wanting to know one of my friends' thoughts on it?"

"Absolutely nothing," Nick replied coyly, getting out of the car with the bunny in tow. "I just find it interesting that you a—Ah!"

The rabbit officer turned to face her foxy friend, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, Nick? You were saying?"

"Something stung me!" He whined, stretching his arms behind his back and feeling for the area where he'd been hit, finding the source. "What the heck was that?"

His claws brushed up against something sticky, and the cop slowly removed his hand from the spot where he'd been hit, bringing it out in full view for both of them to examine.

Tiny specks of blue goo were all over his fingers.

"My, this looks familiar," He mumbled, recalling the Night Howler case from over a year back. "Last time we saw this was, uh…was…Hey, Judes?"

He was becoming delirious rather quickly now, causing the bunny to start to back away from him.

"You should...um...go inside and, uh...get backup, alright?" Nick sputtered before dropping to all fours and growling at her.

 **Cliffhanger! MWAHAHAHAHA! I love doing that in my stories. So, yeah! This chapter has been the longest so far! I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Please leave a review with your thoughts, opinions, etc. on the story! I read them all! Any questions? PM me and I'll answer them if it doesn't give away parts of the story.**

 **More to come…**


	4. Back to Square One

***Logs into account and sees over 1.5K views on story from last update***

 **wat**

 **So, my previous record for most views in a day for a story was 400. Thanks to you guys, that record is now over 1,500. So we gotta celebrate.**

 **So, ladies, gentleman and all other configurations of being, I want you to get ready. Put ya boots on, go outside, come back in because the weather sucks and think about all of the responsibilities that you're about to put aside. Done that? Alright. Settle in, because here we go…**

 **Oh, and so Disney doesn't castrate me with a highly unlikely law suit, I'm gonna come clean and say that I don't own Zootopia or any pre-existing characters. I only own this cup of pudding next to me. Mmmm. Pudding.**

Judy was in quite a pickle. Her partner had just been hit with a dose of the Night Howler serum, and now he was looking at her like she was a nice four course meal. His primal instincts had taken control now, so it was safe to assume that his vision and agility had gotten sharper. That crossed off the option of making a mad dash inside the police station and getting help. Besides, she wouldn't want to leave her deranged friend out here where he could wander and hurt someone else. Any sudden movement might set him off, so jerking her arm to reach for her dart gun or Taser was also out of the question.

Her mind was racing and her heart felt like it could leap out of her chest before running off in fright. They were in the parking lot, so her only cover was the cars around her, and hiding behind some vehicles that Nick could easily maneuver around wouldn't do much. Slowly moving her right paw across her chest and pressing a button on the side of the walkie talkie attached to her uniform, Judy did her best to call for backup.

The fox emitted a low growl and began to creep towards her with his head slightly lowered, examining her with his cold eyes. Claws extended, he paced to the right, attempting to flank his prey.

"This is Officer Judy Hopps," She whispered so as not to trigger her friend. "We've got a ten-one in the parking lot of the ZPD. My partner, Nick Wilde, has been shot with a dose of the Night Howl—"

" _HOPPS?"_ The chief bellowed from the other end. _"SPEAK UP! WE CAN BARELY HEAR YOU!"_

That set Nick off. The orange mammal changed gears and went into a dead sprint towards the rabbit. Judy pivoted on her heels and used every ounce of energy she could muster to run towards a nearby police cruiser, hearing Nick's claws clicking against the pavement a couple feet behind her. The bunny let out a small cry of pain as she slid underneath the car, receiving a nasty pavement burn. Her friend's head slammed into the car as he did his best to wedge his snout underneath the car. Judy's pushed herself away a little more away from the fury of snapping teeth, attempting to call for help once more.

"Sir, I've got a ten-one! Officer in distress! Nick's turned savage and is trying to eat me, Chief!" Judy exclaimed between gasps of air. "I'm in the ZPD parking lot underneath a car."

" _What? He's turned? Can you restrain him somehow?"_

"Uh…Negative. No clear shot. I could hit his face," She responded, pulling out her tranq gun just to be safe and gagging at the smell of the drool falling from her friend's mouth.

" _We can't risk any officers getting hurt. You need to find some way to restrain him, Hopps!"_ Bogo crackled. _"We've got some of the cure in the emergency kit, but if you can't contain Officer Wilde, then there's nothing we can do at the moment."_

"Copy," Judy replied shakily, signing off.

Nick was still snarling and clawing underneath the car, trying to grab his obnoxiously evasive meal. Rolling out from underneath the car and popping out on the other side, Judy put some distance between her and her insane comrade. The orange animal quickly figured out that she wasn't underneath the vehicle anymore and made his way around to the other side, locking his eyes on her and lowering his ears.

The rabbit felt a few tears well up in her eyes as she looked at her friend, who was receiving her mixed emotions with a merciless glare. His uniform had been wrinkled, stained and slightly torn up from his escapade of trying to catch her, but that didn't seem to bother him. His black tie still hung from his neck, undamaged even though it had been dragged across the ground a fair amount.

His tie.

That's what she could use to bring him down before sedating him. The idea of how she would use it to restrain him was dangerous, risky, stupid and insane—all things that she usually classified as traits of Nick's plans for taking down slippery perpetrators. It would either work, and they'd both be able to walk away fine, or it would fail, and she'd become rabbit stew.

Judy didn't have much of a choice. Taking a deep breath, she rushed her friend at full speed while carrying her tranquilizer pistol in her right hand. Nick received this gesture as a challenge and raced towards her with an almost equal speed. The two neared each other and appeared to be on a collision course when Judy dove underneath the fox and grabbed his tie, yanking it towards her as she slid underneath him. Nick yelped and did a front flip in the air, landing with a sickening thud on his back and whimpering. His legs thrashed around in the air and his body wriggled as he tried to get back up. Seeing her chance, Officer Hopps fired a dart into his left hind leg, causing Nick's whole form to go limp.

As she walked towards her sedated friend, the bunny reloaded her pistol just in case. Stopping in front of her partner, Judy looked down at Nick with a saddened expression, only to be met with an even sadder one. The rage and hunger in his eyes was still there, but it was mostly overshadowed by the look of pain, fear and confusion. He whimpered once more, causing the corners of his mouth to twitch. The scene broke her heart.

"Alright, Chief…" Judy stated into her walkie, doing her best to wipe the dried tears from her eyes and clear her throat. "He's sedated."

A few seconds later, the main doors to the ZPD station opened and almost every officer in the precinct filed out to take in the area. Among those walking out were Clawhauser and Bogo. The cheetah had his hands clasped together and was looking down at the limp fox with uneasiness while the cape buffalo was loading the cure into the chamber of a tiny pistol. Aiming it at the neck of Nick, he pulled the trigger a few times, splattering the substance all over him.

Everyone was silent for a few moments before an audible groan escaped the officer's lips.

"Iss'ers?" Nick mumbled dryly, unable to fully speak due to the numbing agent and looking up at Judy. "I ca't feel 'y legs…"

Judy held back a wave of sobbing as she smiled, dropped to the ground and wrapped the fox in a bone-crushing hug. Well, as bone-crushing of a hug as a small bunny could give.

"Let's get a report on what happened. Get an ambulance over here to have a once-over on Officer Wilde," Chief Bogo ordered Clawhauser before turning to the other officers. "As for the rest of you, I want every available hand to set up a search party for any evidence within a three block radius. If I see one of you lollygagging or hear one side comment about either Officer Hopps or Officer Wilde, I'll personally reassign you to patrol Tundratown."

The cops nodded and saluted before heading back into the building and back to work. The cape buffalo snorted before turning to face Judy and Nick.

"You awight, 'arrots?" The fox slurred, getting better at speaking since the effects of the tranquilizer started to wear off.

Judy smiled and nodded, stroking the side of the orange animal's face. "Yeah. I'm fine, Nick. Just take it easy. We're gonna get ya checked out."

Behind her, Bogo cleared his throat, causing the rabbit to turn around and look up at him. "When the ambulance gets here, I want to see you in my office. No side trips."

* * *

*Close to ten minutes later, with Nick*

The fox's eyes followed the motion of the small flashlight that passed by his face, going from left to right and then down to up. Nick soon had full mobility of his body after a few minutes had passed, so he used that opportunity to have Judy fill him in on what happened after he…turned. He was beyond relieved when he found out that he hadn't hurt her at all. The whole time, he had a pounding headache as a side effect of the Night Howler serum, but he ignored it and continued to talk to his little dumb bunny. Once the ambulance arrived, Judy escorted him to the vehicle, despite his protesting, before heading inside to meet with the Chief.

"Well, it looks like ya dodged a bullet," The wolf stated before cackling. "Well, I guess ya didn't, but you know what I mean."

"Please," Nick deadpanned, looking at the paramedic. "I'm laughing too hard. I can't take it anymore. Stop. I need air."

The predator contained more laughter. "Come on, Chuckles. Laughter's the best medicine. It gets a fire burning in ya, if you know what I'm talkin' about."

"Well, sorry if I'm not up for giggles," The officer sighed, peering at the name tag of the worker. "Mr. Moordenaar."

The dog looked up and cocked his head with a confused expression. "Who?"

"Your name tag," The cop pointed out, motioning to the piece of plastic attached to the paramedic's shirt. "Did I say it wrong?"

The mammal looked down at his shirt before forcing a laugh and shaking his head. "Nah. You got it right. Misheard ya, is all. Well, Officer Wilde, it looks like ya check out. Everything's fine, but you might have a little headache for a few days."

"Wilde!" Chief Bogo thundered from the entrance of the ZPD station. "When you're done, I need to see you next."

"Although it seems like you've already been dealing with a headache for quite some time now," The wolf joked before howling in laughter and slapping Nick on the shoulder. "Alright, man. You're cleared. Don't get into any heated conversations with your boss, though. Might strengthen your headache."

The fox thanked him for his help after he hopped off the ambulance. Taking in a deep breath of the cool afternoon air, Nick had a spring in his step as he strode towards Bogo with the sun shining on his coat of orange fur.

* * *

*In Bogo's office*

"Sit down, Wilde," The cape buffalo said calmly, motioning to the only empty seat, which was next to the one Judy was sitting in.

The fox eyed his boss as he slowly walked over and plopped down in the chair, quickly making himself comfortable. A heavy silence hung in the air as the three stole glances at each other. The chief was the first one to break the tension.

"There's something I want to review with you two before you proceed any further in your investigation," He stated, leaning back in his chair. "But before that, tell me everything you know or have done so far about either the act of arson on my car or the cyber-attack on our station."

Judy and Nick took turns retelling the events of the day, ranging from their dead end at the tech lab to their conversation with the ex-con's former accomplice Brianna. The whole time, Bogo was quiet, nodding every once in a while and stroking his chin. When they were done, their boss gave his thoughts.

"You've found nothing so far," He began with a tinge of disappointment. "So this makes the attack on you, Wilde, all that more confusing. You were specifically targeted with the goal in mind that you would harm Officer Hopps. I assigned you to look into this case, and in that time, a hacker infiltrated some of my men's finances and you were turned."

The room fell silent once more.

"Once our boys are done scouring the scene, we'll see where we can go from here. I've got a meeting with the new mayor tomorrow, and I want you two to join me," The cape buffalo continued, seeing the bunny's expression lighten and Nick's droop. "The more protection around the mayor, the better. If these crooks are willing to attack the ZPD, then we have reason to believe they could target Hippotsky as well."

Judy was taken back. "Sir, that's a great honor. We'll be sure to—"

Bogo raised his hand for silence. "Just get me results. I'm not worried about you being professional, Hopps, but if you could make an effort to keep your partner in check…"

"I'm literally sitting right here!" Nick complained. "Not cool, Chief."

"…That'd be beneficial for both of us," Their boss finished with a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "You've been through a lot today, so just this once…You can leave a little early."

"We've got five minutes left in our shift," The orange fox exclaimed. "That's your definition of early?"

"Nick, don't push it…" Judy hissed.

"One more thing before you two go," The bulky mammal interjected, raising a finger. "Night Howlers have been outlawed in this city since the closure of your first case. Some animal or animals, plural, are smuggling them back into the city and remaking Bellwether's formula for turning our citizens into savages."

"You're thinking that—"

"—That you need to pay a visit to our former ex-assistant mayor. I would guess these flowers are being bought and sold through the black market," Bogo finished, cutting off the fox. "They wouldn't be available to anyone in any legal store."

"Chief, no one on the force has been able to infiltrate the black market before. It's a miracle that we even know it exists! How do you expect us to get in?" Judy questioned.

"No one on the force has ever met Mr. Big face to face before, either," Came the reply. "Start with him. See if you can get any access into the underground part of this city from the shrew after you talk with Bellwether. Find whoever is buying those Night Howlers, and you'll find our criminal. In the meantime, since it's obvious that members of the police force are the targets, I want you two to maintain as much contact as possible, especially after what happened today. If that means that one of you temporarily lives with or near the other, then set aside whatever may be…going on between you two and do so."

Nick's jaw fell open and he raised a finger in protest, but was silenced by a stare that you freeze lava.

"No complaints, Wilde. Besides, it gives you the opportunity to get to know your partner better. You're dismissed."

The two cops thanked the cape buffalo, although the fox's was more along the lines of a grunt, before leaving his office and shutting the door behind them. Entering their respective changing rooms, the two emerged in their casual clothes with their things packed away in backpacks. The bunny had a gray T-shirt on with blue jeans while the orange predator had a wrinkled white pullover with baggy gray sweatpants.

"So about what Bozo—"

"—Bogo—"

"—Whatever. What he said about keeping in touch…" Nick continued with an eye roll.

Judy smirked and poked him in the stomach. "We'll increase the amount of time we hang out or text after work, but moving into your stinky, messy apartment would be me signing my death wish."

"It is NOT that bad."

"Maybe you should start charging the flies rent since they've been staying there so long," She teased.

"Fine. I'll clean the place up a little bit before you arrive for dinner tonight to go over our plans for tomorrow."

"I don't know," Judy replied, rotating her left foot and messing with her ears. "You should probably get some rest. Don't want you having a headache for tomorrow."

"If you don't come over, I'm gonna give ya grief about stroking the side of my face for the whole month," The ex-con added, receiving a shocked expression from his bunny buddy.

"That…I...It was the heat of the moment, alright? That's blackmail!" Judy protested, feeling her temperature rise.

Nick snapped his fingers crouched down so that they were at eye level.

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart," He responded before standing back up and walking out of the precinct. "See you tonight at seven!"

* * *

*With the hacker*

The techno-criminal pushed his chair away from his computer monitor and powered down his desktop. For the chief of police, the cape buffalo didn't protect his system very well from intruders such as himself. He'd easily hacked the video monitor that was installed in Bogo's computer and listened to the whole conversation that was had between him, Judy and Nick.

Drumming his fingers on the table, he wondered if this sudden development was important enough to relay to his comrades. It was an odd bunch, that was for sure, but they were all brought together by a mutual hatred for four select animals: Judy, Nick, Bogo, and the new mayor, Hippotsky.

The hacker had beef with Nick and Nick alone. Back when he was younger, naïve and full of hope and energy, he was thrilled to have arrived in the city of Zootopia. This was to be the start of something great for him. He'd open his own software company, since he was so good with computers, and become very wealthy and respected. He'd acquired a nice amount of funds to help him create a small start-up company and was eager to find a business partner, mentor or investor to help him take the first step on his journey. Nick Wilde had posed as a supposed well-known and rapidly rising computer engineer in Zootopia, and since the young entrepreneur was new to the city, the techno-whiz didn't know any better. Taking a gamble, he struck a deal with the orange menace, who in turn took all of his money and vanished without a trace in a week.

He'd been ruined. His one dream and one chance for success had been abolished by some slick, sly, conniving con-artist. He had to live in some old, shabby apartments for years, working as a dish boy at a pathetic restaurant. Then, one day, his life got turned around by one animal. Someone who he'd never thought he'd get along with simply because they were different species.

Sure, he eventually would work his way back up to a moderately luxurious life, but it was nothing compared to what could have been if it were not for that disgusting waste of fur on his first day in Zootopia. So when he was approached by one of the mayor's most respected and closest business associates and was presented with the chance to undermine and destroy the life of Nick Wilde…Well, he couldn't refuse. All that was needed was his talent for hacking and his knowledge of computers.

He didn't fully trust his unconventional allies, but he had no other choice. It was his best chance of getting payback, after all. Besides, the arsonist in the group had beef with Judy, the leader privately displayed his contempt for the mayor, despite being so close to him, and the sniper despised Bogo more than anything else. They each had their own reasons for wanting the four gone and out of their positions, so they were more than willing to collaborate to reach their goal.

After a sip of his lemonade, the hacker picked up the burner phone that he used to communicate with the others and checked the group chat. There were several new messages, but not all were directed towards him.

 _MP: Just saw the news. I think we gave those two officers a good scare. Let them know who they're going to be dealing with. Nicely done._

 _IB: Easy shot. They were too busy dealing with each other to even try to pursue me._

 _MP: You didn't leave any evidence, right?_

 _IB: I'm not new to this game. You insult me._

 _DW: Next time, let me torch something instead of having me play dress up to snoop on one of the cops. I'm not good at it and I almost blew my cover._

 _MP: Quit complaining, or I'll have you made into a nice pelt. Anything to report?_

 _DW: Bogo called Wilde in for a chat._

 _IB: And you weren't able to get close enough to listen in?_

 _DW: No…_

 _IB: Rookie._

 _DW: Shut up!_

 _MP: Both of you, be quiet! Please tell me you were able to get something out of that meeting._

That message was from three minutes ago. The technological genius smirked before punching in a reply.

 _BT: I've got the whole conversation recorded on a separate flash drive. They're planning on meeting with Mr. Big and Bellwether. They're gonna try to find out who's buying Night Howlers by getting access to the underground black market that runs through the pipelines of the city._

 _IB: They're heading over tomorrow?_

 _BT: Yeah._

 _IB: I'll intercept._

 _DW: I'll tag along. *Smiley face*_

 _IB: If you must. Also, please never use emojis again._

 _DW: *Crying face*_

 _MP: Deliver the flash drive to me as soon as you can. I'll have the front desk wave you through._

The hacker nodded and turned off his touch screen phone, setting it in a drawer before closing and locking it. Standing up out of his chair, he finished off his lemonade before grabbing his flannel shirt off of the coat hanger and slinging it over his shoulder.

 **Chapter so fluffy you could sleep on it. Sorry if it wasn't a barrel full of chuckles, but I hope the action and, uh…flirting made up for it ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **And how about that? Some more info on who and how many criminals Judy and Nick are going to be dealing with? Let me know what you thought about the mysterious hacker's past. Was it good? I put more brainpower into the backstory than I do in some school assignments. Pretty sure that's bad, but oh well. Also, if you have a guess as to who the hacker is, put it in the reviews or PM me! There are three very subtle hints as to who he is in his whole section.**

 **So, if liked this chapter, or like me being happy, or like hearing the sound of Disney laughing as the roll around in their piles of cash that they made off of the well-made movie known as Zootopia, please leave a review with any suggestions you may have. I read every single one. I also read every single notification of who followed and favorited the story so far, so don't think you haven't gone unnoticed, you beast ;)**

 **Also, I did fix the issue with Adrienne being a snake and the fact that in Zootopia, only mammals evolved. That little factoid slipped my mind. Juggling three different stories in three different fandoms is hard, okay? I may get a tiny fact like that mixed up once in a while. Just let me know about it, and I'll fix it.**

 **Now, time to go out there and face your responsibilities of the day! Or you can stay here with me and watch YouTube videos. The red pill or the blue pill. Your choice, Neo.**

 **More to come…**


	5. Chez Wilde

**jweaks the type of guy to end on a cliffhanger and then not update for a week.**

 **jweaks the type of guy to have a couple opportunities to write a new chapter but instead blow it by playing Xbox (omg such a console peasant).**

 **jweaks the type of guy to sit in a dark room at 9:30 at night and finally write the new chapter after taking into account all of the reviews.**

 **jweaks says that he knows about the snake mistake leftover from chapter three and has fixed it. Stop reminding jweaks about it while his sanity is still intact.**

…

…

 **In other news, you can bet your biscuits that Disney is gonna release Frozen 2 before they release Zootopia 2. Why would they do this, you may ask? I'll give ya a hint. It rhymes with "bun billion bollars." In the meantime, quench your need for additional content with this chapter. So grab ya pillows, 'cause it's about to get fluffy.**

*That evening, with Nick*

Nick was ashamed of the nuclear wasteland that was his apartment for the first time in his life. Judy was scheduled to come over for dinner in an hour, and for some reason, the stench and mess that covered his home struck him as grotesque for once. Maybe it was because it would be the first time she was going to be eating something he made himself at his place instead of ordering takeout and bringing it back. Sure, they had watched movies and hung out here before, but this time felt…different? Why would it be different? The only aspect that was new was the element of him cooking.

Oh.

That's right. Nick had to actually prepare the dinner all on his own. He'd gotten some simple ingredients from the store, and it didn't seem all that hard to fry and chop up a bushel of carrots, but he still didn't want to screw up. This was the same fox that burned a salad one time.

Setting the bags of food on the dinner table, Wilde mingled about his apartment in order to clean up what he could. A stain on the rug? That'd be too tough to get rid of in time, so he just moved a floor rug over it. DVD's all over the TV set? He compiled them together and stacked them to the right of the television. He fluffed the pillows and cushions on the couch before opening the curtains in the living room, allowing what little of the remaining sunset was left to make its way into his humble abode. Walking into his bedroom, Nick flung the dirty, wrinkled comforter over the pillow to make the fact that he was all but tidy less conspicuous. A little sprucing here and moving some things around over there, and the fox's apartment looked the best it had in a while. A while being when he first moved in.

Again, he didn't know why he had to clean up his place. This occasion just felt…

Nick shook his head, dismissing his thoughts. It was Judy after all. Despite her knowledge that he was the least tidy animal she knew, he still wanted to hide some of his filthiness from her big, beautiful, hopeful, amethyst eyes.

Um…What? Beautiful?

"Bah…" The ex-con muttered, flinging his police uniform into a laundry hamper and starting up the shower.

While he waited for the water to get warm, he walked over to the kitchen area and set everything up so that he could attempt to cook after he was done. Wilde had no problem walking around in his birthday suit since it was just him. Besides, he was away from any windows, so it wasn't like he could scar Mrs. Schmidt from across the street…again. Yeesh.

Once he had everything good to go, Nick walked back into the bathroom, shut the door and hopped into the shower, sighing comfortably as he let the hot water rush over his fur.

* * *

*With Judy*

The bunny was at an impasse. She had no idea what to wear over to Nick's. She knew he was making dinner himself, but that gave no hints as to if this get together would be formal or not. Sure, it was located at her partner's semi-nasty apartment, but she didn't want to take the risk and show up in a T-shirt and sweats with him in a suit. It seemed like a silly thought, but still. It could happen. Unlikely, but it could.

Nick Wilde in a decked out suit. That was something Judy had to see. It took a little bit to picture, but once she did…Well…She had a hard time getting it off her mind. He'd look good—no doubt about that. His cocky expression with his cool smirk and eyes that could melt butter…

Erm. Whoops.

He'd look nice. Yeah. Then again, Judy was sure any guy in the police department that dressed up in formal attire would look good. There was just something about a male in a suit that was oddly satisfying. Not many rabbits in the Burrows wore or could even afford an expensive suit, so seeing an animal with one was a nice change of pace for Officer Hopps.

 _But what should I wear?_ The girl pondered, looking back and forth between a nice dress that a certain suave fox got her for her birthday and a gray T-shirt with jeans.

The dress was fantastic. Black as night with golden wisps traveling up the sides and silver laces towards the back of the neck. Nick had refused to tell her where he got the money from, although she had suspected that it was left over from his conning days, or the reason for why he got it. He simply said that he didn't know what else to get her. She knew that he was aware that a simple bundle of carrots would have sufficed, but he still went over the top. If her building was burning down, Judy would take some food, some money, her phone and that dress. It meant that much to her.

The mammal had already showered and had gotten everything else ready to go, so this was the final decision she had to make. The bickering of her neighbors didn't help her reach a conclusion any quicker.

"You think I care about your obsession with that stupid site, ya idiot? I need to get on there to check my email!" The muffled voice of disruption number one scoffed.

"You can check it after I'm done reading this update, doofus! He hasn't posted anything in a week!" Disruption number two retorted.

"It'll still be there once I'm done, moron!"

"So will your emails, stupid!"

And so on and so on. Judy savored the times when they weren't home. That meant blissful moments of complete quiet in her own little apartment. Usually, they were the hardest things to deal with when she was off duty, but not this hour.

"Ugh!" She groaned, tugging at her ears. "What am I gonna wear?"

* * *

*With Nick*

The fox stepped out of his bedroom, fresh out of the shower with a white T-shirt on paired with a black polyester jacket over it and jeans. His fur on the top of his head was messed up a little, giving him a slightly scruffy look that he hoped would be found pleasing to the eye. His breath was freshened and his canines were nice and shiny. He'd sprayed a little bit of cologne on after he'd brushed the dust off of the bottle. It was a Christmas gift from his mom a few years ago. It was nice that she still thought about him even though he hadn't made any contact with her in what felt like a millennium.

Walking into the kitchen, the officer sprayed some non-stick coating on a frying pan before dropping the bushel of carrots in and turning on the burner. Next up was some getting some clean dishes. Making his way over to the sink where some dirty plates were soaking, Nick grabbed an old wash towel and started rinsing and scrubbing the food off. So what if they weren't completely clean? He didn't have time to put them through the dishwasher. What Judy didn't know wouldn't hurt her. After he'd cleaned off a couple plates, he grabbed a new cloth and started to get the water off.

"Oh oh oh oh oh," He hummed while he worked. "Dry everything…"

Once finished, he set the dishware off to the side along with some glasses. He poured water into one for him and a fruit and veggie blend into the other for his dumb bunny. He set those on the table before turning his attention back to Judy's dinner. It was sizzling furiously now, and the smell of cooked carrots started to fill his apartment. To him, it was displeasing, but if she liked it, then he could put up with the smell.

"Oh oh oh oh oh," He murmured again, moving the pan and shifting the carrots around. "Fry everything…"

Making sure that the carrots were good, he pulled out some broccoli and carefully chopped it up into small bits, making a point to avoid his fingers. He dumped those into a cauldron of water and put that on a separate burner, starting it up and watching the water bubble.

So far so good.

After shucking some lettuce and dicing some tomatoes, Nick checked the clock and cringed. He had ten minutes until she was supposed to arrive. Time to step it up.

Turning off the burner that the carrots were cooking on, he turned the pan on its side and let the vegetables tumble out. Taking the knife in his hands once more, he chopped up the food the same way as he did with the broccoli a few minutes earlier. He repeated this process, minus the cutting, with the broccoli. He scooped everything into one big bowl and shifted the ingredients around, creating a mosh posh of vegetables for his little furry friend. He set that on the table and popped a package of fried crickets into the microwave and set the timer for three minutes.

Unlike Judy, he wasn't a picky eater and didn't mind less fancy forms of cooking.

He took a movie that he'd rented and examined it. A romantic comedy. Romance for the emotional rabbit and comedy to keep the fox from slamming his head into the wall to ignore the sappiness. It supposedly got good reviews. Two spies competing for the same girl. One even kinda matched his description: a cocky and suave kind of agent. The film was called "This Means Boar."

He dimmed the lights a little and took the package of crickets out of the microwave when it was done, dumping the contents on a plate and placing that on the table. Stepping back and admiring his work, it quickly struck him how much he'd done to impress Judy. Sure, she was his friend and would accept him for who he was, and he did want his place to look somewhat presentable, but…

Nick thought about his reaction to Brianna and Bengalio's relationship. About Judy's curiosity about interspecies relationships and his defense. About Clawhauser's comments. About his protectiveness over her in the tech lab.

It wasn't plausible. Wasn't feasible. It went against everything he'd believed in when he was a con artist, but look how much he'd changed. He wouldn't break his stereotype. That didn't last. He wouldn't help the law. Um…Next. He would never let himself be held down by some animal. A walking carrot detector abolished that.

No…It just couldn't be. Zootopia looked down upon these kinds of things. The only reason the Tigre's hadn't gotten a bunch of grief, according to Bengalio, was because of his wife's reputation as a former arsonist. It's just him having a friend that's a girl is all. Brianna didn't count. She was a work acquaintance back in the day. Finnick was a guy, so… That must be it. Hanging around a girl all day, every day, was throwing his thoughts and emotions into a blender. The only other woman he spent much time around was his mom when he was younger.

The knocking at his door snapped him out of his trance. He locked this issue in the back of his mind for now and walked towards the door.

 _For the rest of the evening, I'm going to eat a nice dinner, review the case with Judy, watch a movie…_ The fox thought.

He opened the door, revealing the fuzzy bunny.

… _and try not to stare._

* * *

*With Judy*

Out of common courtesy and how she was raised, Judy waited until the exact minute when she was supposed to arrive. In reality, she'd arrived ten minutes early and had been standing outside of her partner's door ever since, waiting until precisely seven until knocking. Once she did, she heard Nick shuffle over and open the door.

By his wide eyes and stunned expression, she knew that she was right to have chosen the dress he'd gotten her. He didn't look bad himself. Heh. Modesty. He looked amazing. She saw him in his police uniform almost every day, so she was a little taken back whenever he saw something else. His messed up hair added to his handsome yet lazy persona. She smelled cooked and steamed vegetables wafting out of his home and had to keep her nose from twitching furiously.

"Uh…" Nick sputtered, regaining his composure rather quickly. "Come in! Welcome to Chez Wilde. Take a ride on the Wilde side."

Judy groaned before walking in and taking note of how clean his apartment was. The smell of carrots drowned out the usual musky smell of the orange mammal and things seemed to be more organized. He escorted her over to the dinner table and pulled out her chair, giving a cocky smirk. Smiling and nodding in thanks, she took her seat and after a moment, he did the same.

"This is…Wow, Nick! I'm impressed," The rabbit complimented. "You never cook!"

"Vegetables aren't that hard," He lied, shrugging it off. "Besides, it's the least I could do for the cute little bunny that stopped my ferocious rampage."

Judy narrowed her eyes at her partner at the word "cute," who in turn raised an eyebrow and grinned, knowing he got to her. She decided to hit the metaphorical ball back into his court.

"Well, what can you expect from a savage predator?" She giggled, changing her friend's expression to a deadpan stare. "Shall we dig in?"

"Yeah," He replied, clicking his tongue and spooning some fried crickets into his mouth. "So are ya ready to meet with Bellwether tomorrow?"

The rabbit shrugged and munched on some of her meal. "I guess. She'll probably be pretty peeved seeing the two of us again. This is delicious, by the way!"

Nick cleared his throat and nodded in appreciation. "So…Mr. Big as well? Ready for that?"

"Mmhmm! It'll be nice to see Fru Fru."

The two continued to talk about the case and their plans for the next day for a little, followed by some small talk. Nick asked how her parents were doing, and she gave him any updates. She asked if he'd talked with his mom recently, and he diverted the conversation to a different topic. Round and round they went until they ran out of things to say. A brief silence hung in the air as the two continued to eat their respective dishes. The fox cop soon spoke up once more.

"So, uh…Carrots? What made you decide to wear that dress?"

Judy felt her cheeks heat up as she scoured her mind for an answer that she could give. She nervously finished off her drink and patted her napkin against her mouth to get rid of any food that was clinging on for dear life. She didn't want to say the wrong thing and then melt into a puddle of embarrassment.

 _Because I wanted to impress you? No… Because you gave it to me and therefore means a lot? Not quite…_

"My, uh, clothes were dirty and it was between this and some raggedy shirt," She lamely lied, not even believing herself.

"Alright, Whiskers," Came the reply followed by a wink, making her face heat up even more. "Whatever you say."

The two quickly finished their meals and briefly parted. Judy went to the bathroom to check and make sure she still looked alright while Nick put the dishes in the sink.

* * *

*With Nick*

The description of his body was like a Jimmy Rabbit rap. Paws were sweaty. Knees weak. Arms were heavy. It was like his brain was disobeying what he told it to do. Sure, it may seem like he was calm, cool and collected, but dinner had just been so awkward. And then she had to go and wear that dress! That threw him for a loop. He refused to believe that the cause of this had to do with his previous thoughts before the bunny showed up.

 _What's wrong with me tonight? We're friends. This shouldn't be weird._

 _Sike, you thought,_ His brain seemed to reply.

Nick opened up the camera feature on his phone and looked at himself on the screen. He messed up the fur on the top of his head a little more and patted himself on the cheeks. Not totally satisfied with how he looked, but acknowledging that it was all he could do at the moment, he walked over to the couch and flopped down to wait for Judy. Lucky for him, he was a pro at hiding his troubles and issues. He'd hold off on this tornado of confusion inside of him until he could determine the cause of all this. It might just be the case. He did turn savage today, so maybe it was just some side effects of getting over the serum.

* * *

*With Judy*

 _Well that was a thing,_ The rabbit thought as she looked at herself in the mirror.

She had lightly splashed some water on her cheeks in order to cool her face down. Nick's observation of her attire had caught her off guard, even though it shouldn't have. That's what friends do, right? They complement each other. They show interest in what the other does. It's not like she has romantic interest in him. Her parents would have a stroke. The entire Zootopian community would judge them severely, despite them being popular "heroes." The Chief might spontaneously combust with fury at the discovery of a relationship in the workplace.

But…she just listed off reasons why other people would have an issue with it. What was Judy's issue with it? She knew him better than anyone. He was the only one that allowed her into his life. He didn't really have any friends other than her and Clawhauser. Maybe Bogo on a good day, although the Chief fell under the label of an angry, gruff guardian than a friend. Even the word guardian was a stretch. Sure, the buffalo made sure the two weren't bothered by any of their co-workers, not that they would be anyway, but he was still their boss. A good boss looks after their employees.

Back to the matter at hand, however. Was this really all that big of a stretch? Becoming such good friends that they could potentially have feelings for each other? Her thoughts about her partner over the past couple months certainly could've passed the level of friendship.

That's the trouble, though. Would it ruin their friendship? Unlikely, but if Judy admitted it to herself, then there'd be no turning back. She'd truly be interested in dating a guy for the first time. Her whole life, she had shrugged off males back in the Burrows, labeling them as distractions from her goal of becoming a cop. Now that she was, though…What was next? Could she be interested in her foxy friend? Maybe, but if he shot her down, though…Well, he was right about one thing. Bunnies can be emotional. She'd probably be in shambles. He might hang it over her head for a while and maybe even use it to his advantage. Being vulnerable was something Judy didn't want to feel, but what was she saying? This was Nick Wilde. He was her friend! He wouldn't do that. Sure, he might gloat to Clawhauser about it, and in turn the cheetah would get excited and tell a few animals in the department, who in turn would tell more and…

And…

And she'd lost track of time. She'd been in the bathroom having a mental debate tournament for almost twenty minutes. Her thoughts were like a ping pong match. Back and forth, going every which way.

"Whiskers!" A familiar voice called from outside the door. "You fall in? Need help?"

Her face heated up again and she tugged on her ears. Lucky for her, she was good at hiding her intentions and feelings if she wanted to. For now, she wouldn't let on to what was going on.

"Ah," He sputtered, realizing the context of what he said. "Help as in me calling the ambulance."

Judy swiftly opened the door, revealing Nick, who had his hands jammed in his pockets and wore the same enchanting, cocky and teasing smirk he always did. His eyes were lazily hanging open and his chin was turned up a little.

"She lives," He joked. "Was beginning to worry."

"I can take care of myself, Wilde. You don't have to worry about me," She giggled, lightly punching his shoulder.

"Don't tell me what to do," He responded lightheartedly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and escorting her to the couch. "I've got a movie. This Means Boar. Ever seen it?"

"Nope!" She lied, sparing her friend any embarrassment for getting a film she'd already watched.

"Cool."

He popped in the disc and nestled in next to his partner, tucking his tail off to the side and extending his right arm out so that it rested on the top of the couch. With his other hand, he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. The news popped up first, since he had yet to change the setting over to the DVD player.

" _And in other news, Mayor Hippotsky continues to advocate for public acceptance of interspecies relationships and marriage,"_ The snow leopard stated. _"While she is facing backlash for this campaign, criticism has gone down due to the support from local business tycoons Matthew Pumanak from Puma Power Chemicals and Michael Pantherson from Black Paw Trading Co."_

The image showed a male puma in a sharp tux standing to the right of the female hippo mayor while a male black panther stood to her right. Hippotsky, who was wearing a bright purple dress, looked to be in the middle of a speech, Pumanak was smirking and looking around at the crowd, and Pantherson looked to be bored, since he was checking his watch. He was dressed similarly to Pumanak.

Judy coughed into her arm and Nick raised his eyebrows at the bit of information before pressing some buttons on the remote and switching the TV setting to the DVD player. The two snuggled in, ignoring their increasing heartbeats and heat coming from their faces, and enjoyed the movie.

Well, the best they could.

About a third of the way through, the television suddenly froze up and turned to static. The fox, groaning and griping as he trudged over to the TV, ejected the disc and examined the back.

"Oh, what a piece of junk!" He exclaimed, scowling at the disc. "It's got a scratch across the back."

"It's alright, Nick. We'll just do movie night some other time!" She assured, trying to ease his frustration.

Nick blew air out of his nose and shook his head, tossing the damaged movie onto the coffee table and running his fingers through the fur on his head. Judy studied him briefly before getting up and giving him a hug.

"Don't sweat it, Sly," She mumbled. "It's no big deal. You still impressed me tonight, if that means anything."

She heard her partner sigh and return her hug before letting his arms drop to his sides. Silence hung in the air a little before he spoke up.

"Um…Carrots? You can let go whenever."

 **AAAAAWWWWW! WHAT A FLUFFY CHAPTER.**

 **Time to answer some questions/comments.**

 **I will update at random. "At random! You suck!" Yeah, I know, but with track season coming in at full speed and this being my senior year, my schedule is really busy at the moment. I also have to keep up with two stories in two other fandoms, so there's that.**

 **As far as how I'm going to set up the story like this: The mystery aspect of the story will primarily occur when the two are on duty, and the emotional aspect of the story will occur when the two are off duty. Now, the two can cross over at times, but that is the mainstay…FOR NOW. *Evil laughter***

 **Fox will work fine, Mike Lucaski. Or hyena, since I make puns frequently and am usually the only one to ever find them funny. Don't care. Spin the wheel of labels and pick one!**

 **I never said the hacker was short ;)**

 **Has the fluff taken a backseat now? HUH? HAS IT NOW? *Triggered***

 **So since some of you were so good at deducing who the hacker was in the previous chapter, I've stepped up my game. There is one hint that leads you practically nowhere in this chapter. Find Waldo now, suckers! MWAHAHA!**

 **1 review = 1 prayer for my AP Physics grade**

 **More to come…**


	6. AN: Got Your Hopes Up, Didn't I?

**Hey guys! Generic annoying FanFiction writer #4,307 here! I know I've fallen off the ball when it comes to updating for you guys, and if it weren't for grades, college, sports, family, friends and life, I'd be updating nonstop every hour! But as it is, there are only 24 hours in a day, and those are filled with working and sleeping!**

 **But fear not! Since I'm non creative in any way and am on the cat level of being lazy, I'm uploading this exact same author's note to all three of my current stories! Below are the days when you can expect an update from me! And feel free between now and when I die to roast me in the reviews!**

 **KFP Next Gen Finale (Part 2 of 3): Nation of Evil** **= April 15th, 2016 (For real this time)**

 **Sonic Legends Finale (Part 1 of 3): Inferno** **= April 23rd, 2016 (We're, like, two chapters from the end of the story)**

 **Tag Team** **= April 17th, 2016**

 **Now, providing no one in my family bites the dust or my stupid track meets get moved to those posting days, those chapter will be up and good to go. All of them will be super-good to make up for my leave of absence.**

 **If it weren't for my English teacher always assigning essays, I'd have those chapters up much sooner. #StopEstes2k16**

 **And for my loyal followers (who are insane enough to stick with me through my sporadic updates), I've got some questions:**

 **KFP readers:** **What do you think is gonna happen next? What'll become of Zina and Dega? How will Tang handle holding down the fort while the masters are away?**

 **Son** **ic** **readers: As we near the end of part 1, do you think they'll be able to save Blaze in time? Will Blizzard give in to his Anti side? Will Catharsis betray everyone?**

 **Tag Team readers: Did you find the hint that I placed in the previous chapter? Hint: Look back at the criminal name abbreviations in the messages a couple chapters back.**

 **So moisturize your dry palms and wipe the sweat from your brow, because I'm back at it again with those white vans (I'm so sorry plz don't kill me) and updates. More to come... ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ**


	7. Mayor May Not

**CHAPTER TITLE PUN! Mayor May Not! May or may not! Alright, I'm gonna sit down now.**

 **Well…Originally, this chapter was supposed to be put up on the 17** **th** **, but one review made me put it on hold for a little bit (I'm sorry you guys had to wait longer). So… *ahem*…**

 **Happy birthday to you! Cha cha cha! Happy birthday to you! Cha cha cha! Happy birthday dear TheWritingFactory! Cha cha cha! Happy birthday to yoooooouuuuuuuu! And many more!**

 **Have some virtual cake! It's whatever flavored! Streamers! Balloons! Party hats! Those little paper blowing things that make a honking sound! YEAH! LET'S CELEBRATE! I'M GONNA GET MY LAMPSHADE! HA HA HA!**

 **Well, now! That's a nice little dandy happening that happened to happen! Now, while I ignore the smelly smell that is smelling smelly in my home, you read the…reading…that's readingly…reading? Oh, just continue on before this author's note falls into shambles!**

 **P.S. As a birthday present for TheWritingFactory, I've included an Easter Egg in this chapter just for ya!**

*The next morning*

After Judy had left Nick's place, she drove herself back to her dinky apartment and changed out of her dress, gently setting it into a laundry hamper to be washed later with the utmost care. Her neighbors continued to bicker while she put on her pajamas and brushed her teeth. Their voices were the last thing she heard before she dozed off.

She woke up the next morning feeling optimistic and ready to take on the day. The relaxing yet musty smell of her abode was a pleasant way to start the morning, and the sun just happened to be in a certain position where its beams of light traveled through her window and rested on her face. A far more relaxing description than what actually happened.

"Hmmm…Who turned on the sun?" The rabbit moaned and draped her paw over her eyes.

She rolled over to try to silence her alarm clock that was blaring in her ear, but was too dazed to notice that she rolled the wrong way. Judy tumbled out of bed and landed with a thud on the wood floor, allowing a small scream to emit from her mouth.

 _That never happened,_ She assured herself as she got up and began to cook herself breakfast in her tiny kitchen.

While the officer was doing this, her cell phone began vibrating over on the dining table. Expecting and hoping for it to be Nick, but utterly disappointed when the caller ID displayed Bogo's hardened expression, Judy picked it up and hit "Answer."

"Hello?" She asked politely, trying to sound unaware of who the caller was.

" _Hopps!"_ Bogo huffed through the piece of technology. _"Why do you sound like you just gargled marbles? Whatever! Just wanted to let you know that when you and Wilde come in today, I want you to take a patrol car and head straight for the city prison to meet with Bellwether. See what you can pull from her about this whole Night Howler case. Need to nip this in the bud before it gets any worse. Following this, I need you to meet me at the mayor's office. Mr. Big can wait for now."_

"Got it, Chief. Anything else?"

" _Keep Wilde in check while we're with the mayor. I know how…distracted he can get sometimes. You can tell him that if I see him on his phone one time during the meeting, I'll shove that thing so far down his throat that it won't be able to get a signal!"_

Judy winced slightly. "U-Understood, Chief."

With that, she hung up and turned her focus back to Nick…Breakfast. Turned her focus back to breakfast.

* * *

*Later that morning, in a patrol car heading towards the city jail*

"Wouldn't even let me drive a go-cart, Carrots?" Nick jokingly taunted as he turned the steering wheel to the cruiser and made a left at an intersection. "Isn't that what you said a couple days ago?"

"They wouldn't let me get dressed up in S.T.A.T. gear to protect myself from your driving," Judy countered with a smile. "That's Specially Trained Animal Tacticians in case you were wondering."

"Second question on the police academy's final exam, Fluff," The fox replied, keeping his right hand on the wheel and using his left to push up his shades. "In case I was wondering. Pff!"

"Ready to go see Bellwether again?" The bunny cop asked, glancing at her partner, who in turn blew air out of his nose.

"It was on my bucket list. Nothing I'd rather do more with my day than sit across from some psycho in a dirty prison," Came the reply as he pulled up to the jail's front gate and parking the car.

"Come on, Nicky," The rabbit laughed, hopping out of the car and walking towards the gated entrance with a spring in her step. "Let's get this over with and meet the mayor!"

The fox pulled the keys out of the ignition and stepped out, shutting the door and locking the car before scratching his head. "Nicky?"

* * *

*Twenty minutes later, inside the prison*

After showing their badges, going through security, showing their badges, stating why they were here and showing their badges, the two heroes of Zootopia were seated in two chairs on one side of a desk. A glass wall was dividing the space in the middle of the table, matching several others just like it down the row. A phone was hung on the side of the small booth on their end, and another one just like it was hung on the opposite side.

"Doesn't this belong in a museum?" Nick asked, examining the dated phone.

"Oh, hush," Judy scolded, straightening her posture once she saw the old assistant mayor round the corner with two rhino officers behind her.

Once the sheep saw the two police officers, her eyebrows furrowed, her eyes narrowed and her mouth thinned into a tight line. Trudging forward and plopping down in the chair, Dawn grabbed the phone off the wall and placed it to her ear. Judy did the same.

The ball of wool on the top of the sheep's head had been cut down some since the last time the two saw her, and she looked a little bit dirty with smudges of black on her arms and face. Her glasses were still intact, however they did have a piece of old, dirty tape around the nose brim where they had apparently broke at one point. The orange jumpsuit on her was an eyesore.

"Graced with the presence of Zootopia's top cops," The woman said with disdain. "What an honor."

Her eyes shifted from the bunny, to Nick, and then back to Judy.

"I see he hasn't eaten you yet."

The rabbit shifted in her chair before clearing her throat. "Dawn Bellwether, we need to ask you a few questions about a recent case that has come up."

The sheep raised an eyebrow and continued to look disinterested as she messed with her hooves. "And you thought me of all animals would help you? You really must be stuck in a rut. Lemme guess. This is either about Bogo's car getting torched or your partner here getting hit with my old formula."

"Actually, we think they're connected," Officer Hopps responded.

"Uh huh. You thought I would give you information?" Bellwether asked, glancing at Nick, who was messing with his phone. "How sad."

"You want something in exchange for your help?" The fox asked, pulling himself away from his tech and stopping his partner from replying to the criminal.

"Freedom," She answered plainly.

"Other than that?" Nick bartered.

The convict tapped her chin and thought for a few minutes, looking up at the stone, gray ceiling and sighing. "A few things. Eight issues of Sheep Weekly. Fresh, green, naturally fertilized farm grass for a month—No—Two months. A new blanket and my World's Best Assistant Mayor coffee mug."

The ex-con smirked, pleased with the terms that she set. "I think we can work something out. Now, about that Night Howler serum…"

Bellwether leaned in and pressed the phone to her ear, looking hard at the two officers. "I only allowed those within my organization to access the recipe for the formula. Myself and my sheep scientists were the only ones who knew how to make the serum. That being said, Lionheart did detain the predators we hit. Who's to say some of the wolves guarding the compound didn't get curious? I said it in the past and I'll say it again…Predators can't be trusted."

The crook leaned back in her chair and breathed in deeply, exhaling rather slowly and blinking a few times.

"Now, that's all I know. I expect you to make good on our deal," She stated, cocking her head to the side. "Don't you have a meeting with the mayor to get to?"

Judy's eyebrows furrowed as she focused her gaze on the ex-assistant mayor. "How do you know about that?"

The sheep smirked before hanging up the phone and standing up from her chair, walking out with her police escorts.

* * *

*Outside the office building of the mayor, twenty minutes later*

"Well obviously she knows more than she told us, but we have to honor our agreement!" Judy exclaimed, walking into the city's capital building with her friend by her side. "You're the one who set the terms, and it'd be unethical and wrong if we didn't follow through, even when it comes to someone like her."

Nick sighed and held his arms up in a surrendering fashion. "Alright, alright. You win. I don't see how we're gonna get her that mug back, though."

"Maybe the new mayor has one?"

The two officers pushed open the large glass doors to the building and stepped inside, instantly taken back by the design and architecture inside. The floor looked to be made of marble and was polished thoroughly. On each side of some golden and white stairs that led up to other floors stood two giant, white, concrete pillars that towered up towards the high ceiling, which had a large glass dome right in the center. A small fountain was in the center of the floor, and around the room were paintings of the various mayors of Zootopia. The most recent one, Hippotsky, followed her predecessor, Lionheart. Two well-trimmed trees were on either side of the main entrance, and animals were moving quickly across the floor, wrapped up in their work. Off to their left was the secretary desk for the ground floor. Like Clawhauser, a cheetah was behind the desk answering calls, however this one looked a little more thin and was extremely quick.

"Zootopia capital ground floor, Blur speaking. Second floor! Yes, sir! Hello? One moment, ma'am. Transferring you to fifth floor. Hello? No, we are not Pride Rock café. Goodbye," The man replied rapidly to floods of calls that kept coming in. "Good day, sir! Uh-huh. Of course! Please hold. Yes? You again? Disconnected! Not my issue ma'am. Transfer third floor."

The animal's hands shot around in various directions, making Judy's eyes hurt from trying to follow his actions. Walking up to his desk, Officer Hopps waved at him to get his attention. He was too busy to notice her, so she glanced at his name placard and tried again.

"Mr. Blur!" She stated, snapping the cheetah out of his zone. "Hi! I'm Off—"

"Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD, with your partner Nicholas Wilde. Mayor Hippotsky and your chief are expecting you. Very top floor," The secretary hurriedly cut in before going back to work. "Connecting to the fifth floor. Yes? Three humped camel. Pregnant. Heard that joke before. Hello? City capital ground floor. Please hold!"

The rabbit blinked a few times before turning away and walking back to her partner, who was texting feverishly into his phone. Once she got closer, the fox tapped the power button on the top of his device and pocketed it with a sly grin. Pulling Nick towards the elevator in the room, the two got in and requested the tenant to take them to the top floor. They were surprised when the employee called them out by name.

"Officers Hopps and Wilde! What a surprise!" The elevator worker exclaimed. "It's me! Manchas!"

"Is it…? Oh my gosh! Hi!" Judy cheered, bouncing slightly and waving at the black jaguar. "How are you? What're you doing here?"

The old limo driver was dressed in a blue and gold teller outfit with white cuffs on his wrists and was perched on a worn leather stool.

"Ah ha ha!" Manchas laughed heartily. "Driving for Mr. Big was too dangerous for me, I've decided! He agreed with some convincing and let me go in a formal fashion. I got this job here as an elevator tenant. The pay is good. From what I heard, it stunk when Lionheart was in office, but things have been improving. But, geez! You wouldn't believe some of the animals that come through here. The mayor's interspecies policy is drawing out some wackos bent on changing her mind. Some are interspecies couples that go to thank Hippotsky. They're really nice, but then there are some single, sour souls that spit venom in every direction as I take them up. You wouldn't believe it, but I even saw a predator-prey couple on their way up."

He tapped his chin and puckered his lips. The two cops looked at each other before quickly shifting their gazes to the side.

"I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. You can never be too careful these days. But…Ah! That's probably my slight skittishness from the whole Night Howler case a year and a half ago. Things have gotten better!" He said, nodding his head in satisfaction. "I even got to take up one of Zootopia's business hot-shots. Michael Pumanak was his name. He gave me a two-hundred dollar tip! He's still up there, I think. Unless he took the stairs, that is. Enough about me, though! How are you two? How have things been? Bust any big cases lately?"

"We've actually caught another one, it seems," Nick stated suavely. "Somebody's, uh…"

"Been recreating the serum that turns animals savage," The ex-driver finished, sighing. "Yes, I heard about your incident. I'm happy you two are alright. It's such a horrible thing to go through. The whole experience made me open my eyes a little. Changed my job and how I treat others sometimes. Do my best to smile at everyone I meet. Never know who's got it out for ya. I assume that's what you're here for? To meet with your chief and the mayor about this, that is?"

"We actually have no idea what this is about," The bunny cop admitted with uncertainty. "Chief Bogo just told us to meet him here after we finished talking to Bellwether."

The elevator came to a slow stop and the bell dinged. The large brass doors slowly opened, revealing another chaotically busy scene. Papers were scattered across desks and phones were ringing. At the far end of the room sat a young stallion behind a desk, trying to ignore the noise around him. The two officers could see Bogo calmly speaking to a fairly large hippo across from him inside the office behind the secretary.

"That crazy sheep? I suppose she would be the best to talk to about this sort of thing," Manchas said halfheartedly. "Well, this is your stop. Be sure to take the elevator down instead of the stairs!"

The saviors of Zootopia agreed and thanked the old jaguar before stepping out and making their way down the center of the room to where the horse was seated. Elmer Gallopigo, as his name plaque read, was very neat and tidy. He wore a plain white dress shirt that clung to his muscular frame and had glasses perched on his snout. His desk didn't have anything on it expect for a few pens, a laptop and a small lamp.

"Don't need to say who you are, guys," He said casually, waving his hand at them. "Walk right in. Normally I would escort guests in, but frankly, your chief scares me."

"Hey!" Nick hissed after nodding at the stallion, elbowing his partner slightly and motioning with his chin over to their left. "Isn't that Pumanak?"

Judy looked over and spotted the tycoon on his phone, appearing frustrated with whoever he was talking to. He was dressed almost exactly like he was in the press conference that aired on TV last night with the exception of a red tie instead of a navy blue one.

"Yeah. I don't see how this can be a problem if it's contained. No…N-No. We need to snuff this. This is merely speculation. Rumors and Liabilities. We don't need this to go public. Not yet," He demanded, doing his best to keep his voice down. "I want all shipments of it cut off immediately. If this doesn't happen in the next hour, you're gone, alright? No excuses! And don't tell Pantherson about this."

The puma punched the "End Call" button on his phone and breathed in calmly. Letting the air escape from his lips, he blinked a few times and straightened his tie before catching Judy and Nick looking at him. He gave them a slight grin.

"Gotta pretend to be vicious every once in a while or else they'll walk all over ya, hm? The business world is a nightmare. I would suggest not quitting your jobs for it," He advised before giving them a quick wink and walking off.

The sudden rapping of hoof on window snapped the officers from their trance as the two turned to face a frowning Bogo glaring at them from inside the office. Behind him, Mayor Hippotsky rolled her eyes and smiled sweetly at them, motioning for them to come in.

"Alright, Carrots," Nick cooed, raising his eyebrows and putting on his usual calm and lackadaisical expression. "Let's meet the mayor."

 **And then Randy Orton comes up behind Nick and RKO's him through the window. The end.**

 **So there are many hidden jokes and nods in this chapter. I will point out something, however, so I don't get ripped apart for a grammar error. It was not a mistake that I capitalized "liabilities" towards the end there. Remember how I said there was a little surprise in there for TheWritingFactory's birthday? Well, they've written one story (a crossover between How to Train Your Dragon and Frozen) called Rumors and Liabilities. As a birthday present, I'm using that as a shout out. Check out that story and especially check out the writing commandments on their user profile. They're hilarious, yet accurate.**

 **I won't insult any of your guys' intelligence, but anyone find the name of the mayor's personal secretary and his species ironic?**

 **And yes! Call backs to the original movie with Bellwether and Manchas. My, they have changed some, haven't they? Lemme know what you thought of them!**

 **I'm gonna be off the grid a little bit due to my AP and IB finals for school coming up. Gotta study for those. I know! School! Ugh! Luckily, I only have one more month in that soul-sucking, dream-crushing death pit.**

 **And yes, I know this chapter shifted destinations and time points a fair amount, but in order for this story to get where it needs to be, this is necessary. You wouldn't want a bunch of descriptions about Judy and Nick riding in the car, would you? "Judy was silent. Nick was silent as well. The car was unbearably quiet, but they didn't dare talk." If something important happens in the car, I'll put it in, but if there isn't any stuff happening on the way, why put it in? Space filler is what it is.**

 **So please leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter! I'll be going back and doing edits, and I always read every single review! Backhand that favorite and follow button if ya want! That'd be pretty bodacious. *Puts on pixel sunglasses and Obey hat as a "fog" rolls in***

 **More to come…**


	8. The Epitome of Diddly-Squat

***Over the past two months***

 **Alright! Time to update my story!**

 **Finals:** **"Sorry, but you've got me to deal with first."**

 **Ok. Got you done with. Now on to—**

 **Graduation:** **"Me."**

 **Ugh. Fine. You're taken care of. Now! Story time!**

 **Graduation Party:** **"Um…no."**

 **COME ON! Alright, I guess that wasn't so bad. Got a lot of money to help me as I go off to college. That was nice of people. Now, on to my st—**

 **Thank You Notes:** **"Surprise motha—"**

 **GIMME A BREAK!**

 ***Present day***

 **Greetings from the wonderfully hot, sunny and beautiful state of North Carolina! I'm here on vacation! As you probably gathered, I've been slaving away at other stuff that kept popping up over the past couple months. Now, I'm kicking back on the beach with some lemonade nearby and continuing writing for this story! It has absolutely nothing to do with the main villain of the story pointing a gun at my skull right now.**

 **MP:** **"Finish the story."**

 **I'm going, Spooky, I'm going! I now present the next chapter! Thank you for being so patient!**

 **Important Question:** **Sorry for delaying the story a little more, but this is an important question pertaining to the story! Do you think that in this advanced animal civilization, bullets exist? I mean, it's not like Disney hasn't put bullets in its movies before. Look at Bambi or Tarzan. Just pondering. I'm gonna do a poll here for people to go vote. Do bullets exist? Yes or no. This WILL impact the story in some way. The yes vote will make it easier on me, but feel free to totally screw me over for delaying the story for so long.**

Judy took one last quick look behind her at the puma as he walked into the elevator and gave a curt yet friendly nod to Manchas, handing him another hundred dollar tip in the process. Pumanak smirked at the bunny cop as the doors shut, subtly putting an end to her examination of his activities.

Not realizing that both the mayor and her impatient boss were waiting for the two inside the office, or how much time had gone by, Judy was slightly surprised when she found herself being pulled inside by her foxy friend. Slight emphasis on foxy.

"Sorry, Carrots," Nick whispered as he pushed open the door. "But the Chief was giving me his 'Get in here or I'll end you' eyes."

Once inside, the ex-con shut the wooden door and plopped down on a leather-substitute seat. Looked, smelled and felt like real leather, but wasn't. One of the many substitute products that was manufactured, conveniently, at Puma Power Chemicals. It seemed that the mayor had stocked her office with some of the furniture from one of her supporters' line. Slightly suspicious, but not illegal. The new mayor was always on close watch ever since Lionheart got busted a while back. The citizens didn't exactly trust the government after that.

The rabbit sat down in a similar chair next to her partner and shifted her gaze from Bogo, to Hippotsky, and then back to the chief. The mayor's office was decorated quite nicely, compared to the previous time Judy was in it when sheep-in-wolf's-clothing was in power. Various antique artifacts were placed around the room with plants and flowers in other areas. Picture frames of important figures that inspired Hippotsky were hanging on the walls and a beautiful painting of the savannah hung above her desk. Across from her, said leader of Zootopia was reclining in a chair with her arms across her stomach and a grin on her face. Bogo, to the mayor's left, was leaning against a wooden desk with a scowl on his face.

"I told him he needs to smile more or his face'll get stuck like that," She sighed, glancing over at the water buffalo and then back to the two officers. "Too late."

The chief's right eye twitched as he fidgeted in his spot. "Have either of you—"

The female hippo raised her arm and silenced Bogo, surprising both officers present in the room. They knew she had more authority and control over the mammal than most, but the fact that he could be stopped midsentence on a whim was quite impressive.

"Now, Bogo," Hippotsky chided in a sweet voice. "Let's not bombard these two with questions right off the bat, hm? I deal with angry animals all day complaining about my interspecies policy. I don't need you blowing a gasket in my office."

The cape buffalo slowly inhaled, letting the air escape from his mouth as he breathed out. Judy could see that her boss was eager to find out what she and Nick had gathered from the old ex-assistant mayor, but in actuality, other than a hint towards checking out some guards that used to work under Lionheart that gathered the savage predators, they had what was the epitome of diddly-squat.

She looked over at her partner, who still wore his smug expression and was trying his hardest to give off this aura that everything was alright, but after working with him for so long, Officer Hopps got to know the real Nick. She was now able to easily see underneath this act a lot of the time. For example, right now, he was just as uneasy as to what to say about the case as her.

"Thank you, ma'am," Judy slowly responded, wanting to show her appreciation to the mayor's kindness without insulting Bogo's temper, and in turn sowing the seeds for the Rapture when they got back to the station.

"Oh, my husband's the same way," Hippotsky chuckled with a wave of her big meaty hand. "And please, call me by my first name: Maria. 'Mayor Hippotsky' and 'Ma'am' are when I'm out in public. Now, Officer Wilde, I haven't heard you speak since you got in here. You've just been sitting there without a word like you're Jason Furrhees."

The hippo let out a hardy belly laugh, shaking some of the empty vases around the room. One thing was obvious, and that was that if Nick cracked any of his dry-humored jokes, the leader of Zootopia would find them funny. Judy smiled a little.

 _At least someone would,_ She thought, keeping her diss of the fox that she knew was untrue to herself.

"Sorry, Maria," The ex-criminal stated, already used to calling the new mayor by her first name. "I just didn't know how this was supposed to go. You talk first? I talk first? This is the first really official meeting I've been in since I gave up my life as a…a con artist."

He smirked and wrapped his arm around Judy nonchalantly, making her heart flip-flop like a flapjack.

"I figured I'd let Officer Hopps here do all the talking. She's gotten enough practice at press conferences," The fox finished.

The mayor studied the two closely, putting her hand under her chin and nodding slightly. "If only my daughter could see this."

Both officers and the chief gave her a puzzled look. Realizing she had to clarify herself, Maria stood up and motioned to Nick's arm around the rabbit.

"My daughter is a huge fan of these two, but she's always reading and writing stories about these particular officers forming some sort of romantic relationship," The mayor explained, causing the fox to quickly remove his arm and Judy to internally shake her fist at the hippo. "If she saw a smooth move like that, she'd be bouncing off the walls."

"If you don't mind me butting in, Mayor Hippotsky," Bogo suddenly interjected. "I'd really like to hear what my officers have gathered so far so they can follow up on whatever leads they have. Time is something we unfortunately don't have at the moment."

The hippo raised her eyebrows and nodded, making her way over to her desk and sitting down, pushing some papers and files off to the side and closing out of some windows she had open on her desktop computer. Taking in another deep breath, she motioned to the two cops with her right hand.

"Your chief's right. Officers Hopps and Wilde, the floor is yours right now. Please share with us what you have so far," The mayor stated.

* * *

*With the hacker*

The lack of digital security at the police station was surprising and slightly unacceptable, but could be forgiven since the cops were more street and book smart than technically smart, however the fact that it took three extra minutes to hack into the mayor's own personal computer compared to Chief Bogo's computer was flat out sad. Either he was getting too good at what he did, or some mammal was getting lazy with the firewalls and deserved to be fired.

Per request from the leader of the small group he was in, the hacker was able to punch through any security on Hippotsky's computer so that everyone present could listen to their conversation. It wasn't much, but what the rabbit and filthy fox said only confirmed their suspicions as to what they were going to try to do.

"Lemme get 'em!" The arsonist fumed, pacing back and forth about the room. "One well-placed Molotov and we've got two of our problems taken care of!"

"Yeah, and then both Bogo and the mayor get maximum detail and protection put on them, and we lose our chance for taking them down," The sniper hissed, poking the fire-happy member of the group in the chest. "And I'm not losing my chance to eradicate Bogo's career and family."

"Both of you are giving me a migraine," The leader of the criminals groaned, rubbing his head. "And he's right. We can't be rash with our decisions or the whole city will go on lockdown. I won't serve jail time for this."

"I know what that rabbit can do, though!" The arsonist retorted. "She's not gonna stop until she brings down everyone involved!"

The head of the group of four straightened his posture and looked down at the computer monitor, examining Hippotsky's face, which was being portrayed through a live feed that was accessed through a webcam on her desktop.

"There are two ways to deter someone from their goal when they are as persistent as Judy Hopps seems to be: scare them away or use those around them to force them to quit," The business mammal said. "Act on the first one for now. I want both of you to be the…welcome wagon…for the heroes of Zootopia when they enter Tundra Town."

The arsonist and sniper nodded before walking out of the room to gather the supplies they would need. Turning back to the monitor, the leader heard the rabbit describe their encounter with Bellwether. It seemed that the sheep's hint towards the old mayor's wolf helpers could compromise the arsonist he recruited. The sheep needed to be dealt with, but security at the jail would be ridiculous and wouldn't permit a physical confrontation.

The hacker turned and looked at his boss out of the corner of his eye, awaiting his directions for what to do.

The business animal took a breath and finally looked down at his comrade. "How hard is it to hack into the prison's automatic security?"

The digital criminal pursed his lips and nodded slowly, trying to estimate the difficulty of it all. "Might be more difficult than the other jobs I've done so far, but considering I was able to get into both the chief of police's and the mayor's computers pretty easily, it shouldn't be extremely hard. Why?"

The boss slowly smiled, displaying his sharp, white fangs.

* * *

*With Nick*

Once he and his partner finished recounting everything that they had gathered so far, or lack thereof, and what they were planning to do next, a silence hung in the air as both Bogo and the mayor allowed the information to sink in.

"You mean to tell me," The water buffalo questioned with a stern expression. "That the only thing you have to go off of, aside from your hope that Mr. Big has any useful information, is the word of a criminal who tried to turn every predator in Zootopia savage?"

"Well when ya put it like that, it makes it seem like she wasn't a credible source," Nick joked, smirking slightly. "It's the only other lead we have to go off of, Chief."

"And it is better than nothing, Bogo," Maria added. "Any lead, no matter where it comes from, is more than what they had to start with. I'd have more trust in your officers."

Bogo snorted. "I do, but from what it sounds like, Bellwether's playing some sort of game off to the side of this case. Hedging her bets. We have to keep a close eye on her."

Everyone in the room silently nodded in agreement. A few minutes passed before the hippo spoke up once more.

"Well, as much as I'd love to continue our conversation, I've got another meeting here soon, and Michael Pantherson is pretty impatient. I'll let you officers get on your way. Thank you so much for stopping by, even if your boss here ordered you to," Maria chuckled, motioning with her head to the cape buffalo. "Good luck out there, officers. Be safe."

She ushered the two out the door before turning back to the chief and saying some words to Bogo that neither cop could make out. The fox turned back to Elmer, who was furiously typing away on his laptop.

"So what do we do now, Elmer?" Nick asked, snapping the horse out of the zone he was in. "We gotta get a coffee mug for a criminal before we head out."

"Oh! Yeah…uh…This way," He exclaimed, getting out of his chair and escorting the two down the hall to the janitor's closet where they kept all the old coffee mugs for the positions that no longer existed. "Sorry. These past two months have been slammed. I was just updating something. Let's see here…File Sorter…Shoe Shiner…Slacker…Here! World's Greatest Secretary! Here's a red marker to cross that out and write whatever."

"Perfect!" Judy cheered, scribbling the words "Assistant Mayor" underneath the word "Secretary" before capping the marker and handing it back. "Alright! We're gonna be heading out. Give the mayor our best!"

"S'okay!" He replied before walking briskly back to his desk and typing away.

* * *

*Thirty minutes later, with the officers*

Eventually, the two officers were driving down the snowy, icy road of Tundra Town. Their destination? Mr. Big's place of residence. The car ride had been mostly quiet, but that was alright for both of them. It gave them time to organize their own thoughts.

 _Will Mr. Big be able to grant us access to the supposed black market that runs through the underbelly of the city? What will we find there if we do get that far? Who's behind all this? I sure hope Nick and I come out on top again. It seems that they're specifically targeting us now,_ Judy thought, her mind racing as fast as her legs usually were. _I wonder what Nick's thinks about all this…_

 _God, my butt itches,_ The fox griped in his head. _I can't scratch it with Judy here, though. Maybe I can shift around in my seat a little and that'll take care of it…_

Nick twisted around in the passenger's chair a little, catching the attention of his partner.

"You alright, Sly?" She asked, making a right down a long, snowy road.

The wind and flurries were starting to pick up, making it really hard to see on the road. It didn't help that it seemed they were the only ones on the path at the moment, so Judy had no guide as to where exactly the road started and the snow banks ended. Her instincts were going to have to help her with this one.

"Yeah…" He grunted, adjusting his posture. "Am now."

A buzzing in the car cut off any further conversation between the two as Nick's phone began to vibrate. The fox picked it up and checked the screen to see a picture of everyone's favorite secretary with a doughnut in his mouth. Pressing the "Answer" button, the ex-con put the phone to his ear and smirked.

"What's going on, Spots?" Came the greeting.

" _Nick! Hey! Didn't know if I'd be able to reach you or not,"_ Clawhauser stated. _"I just wanted to call and let ya know that when you get back, there's a bunch of flowers sitting on your desk. The Ottertons stopped by with a bouquet of their 'Get-Well' assorted flowers for you. They heard about your incident with the Night Howler serum and wanted to give them to you, but you weren't around. I just had them set the bunch on your workplace if that's alright."_

"That's fine, Clawhauser. Hey! I gotta go. We're nearing Mr. Big's place, alright? We'll come back to the station after we're done," The fox replied before hanging up and turning to his rabbit friend. "Apparently the Ottertons left me some flowers because of my incident with the Night Howler formula yesterday."

"That was nice of them! Aw, I haven't seen them in ages it feels like," The bunny cop sighed. "I really want to catch up with them."

Nick smirked and nodded, deciding to change the topic. "So I saw you eyeballing Matthew Pumanak before we headed in to meet the mayor. What was that about? You couldn't help but be enveloped in his presence?"

The look of shock on his partner's face told the fox he'd gotten to her. "No! He looked a bit fishy is all."

"Come on, Carrots," The ex-con cooed, deciding to tease her further. "That's what the mayor is fighting for. There might be something there between you two."

Realizing what he was doing, Judy decided to play hard ball as well. She wouldn't let him get the best of her this round. No, sir. She knew exactly how to turn the tables on him and make her fox shut it.

"Then who'd go after you, Nick?" She questioned, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes and partaking in this verbal game of cat and mouse.

 _I see what you're doing, Carrots,_ Nick thought. _You're not catching me off guard that easily._

"Dunno, but I always knew you had a thing for predators," He countered, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back, knowing he won.

Judy would get all flustered and deny his statement. He'd in turn say something that'd ensure that he'd be able to bring it up later when it was most convenient to him and then she'd call him a dumb fox. That's just how it worked. It's how it always went. She was becoming a little too predictable nowadays, in his opinion.

"Maybe I do."

Then again…

"Maybe you wh—"

BANG! BANG!

Suddenly, following those noises, the car dropped a little and a painfully loud screeching sound could be heard as Judy lost control of the cruiser and crashed into a snow bank off the road. The airbags deployed and the door windows shattered as the two officers rocked forward in their seats, allowing their faces to be buried in the safety bags.

Once they deflated, Nick looked around the car in a daze. The windshield was completely smashed to the point that it wasn't broken, but was so cracked that one couldn't see anything through its glass. The dashboard had a large metal piece jutting through it and the smell of gas, exhaust and oil flooded the fox's nose. He looked to his left to find Judy, who had gone unconscious due to the car crashing and the airbag hitting her in the face. Grunting, the fox unbuckled his seat belt and did the same for her.

"Carrots!" He groaned, shaking her slightly. "Judy. Wake up!"

The sound of more screeching was heard a little ways away as another car pulled up, but this one in all black with tinted windows and no markings or license plates. Two figures got out of the car, also dressed in all black with ski masks over their faces. One pulled a very large rifle out of the back and loaded a cartridge of blue pellets into the chamber before placing his finger on the trigger. He placed the weapon on the hood of the car and steadied himself. The other assailant popped the trunk and pulled a very large, bulky looking object out of the back. Using their left arm to support the front, the criminal flicked a switch on the right side of the object before squeezing the trigger, causing a burst of flames to shoot out.

Nick, now fully awake and aware of what was going on, quickly looked behind him where the car had originally lost control and saw nothing but snow. Confused and a little frightened, he clambered out of the cruiser, dodging a shot from the sniper and scrambled to the other side of the car, taking cover there. He quickly yanked Judy out of the driver's seat and leaned her against the side of the car, out of the vision of both of their attackers. The fox examined the tires and found multiple puncture marks across the whole thing. He could only assume that this was the case for the other four as well. Someone, more than likely the two crooks a little ways away, blew out their tires with some road spikes. He didn't know why, but that was the least of his worries right now.

The winds were too heavy to get a clear shot with his tranq gun, his Taser wouldn't reach that far and unless he was planning on charging the two with his nightstick and pulling some ninja moves, he was completely defenseless. Reaching into the car, he pulled out the radio and checked to see if it still worked, which lucky for him, it did.

"This is Officer Nicholas Wilde from the ZPD! I've got a ten-double-zero! Officer down! Officer down! Two assailants in a black car with tinted windows and no plates just ambushed Officer Judy Hopps and I. They are armed and dangerous! We're in a ten-one in Tundra Town on the road towards where Mr. Big resides. Officers in distress! Does anyone copy?"

The radio cracked and popped as a response came through from a nearby patrol.

" _Ten-four, Officer Wilde. This is Officer Tailspin. Read you loud and clear and we're on our way. We'll dispatch an ambulance for you, but you need to hold them off as long as possible until we get there. ETA five minutes."_

The fox peered out from behind the car and saw the one with the flamethrower walking closer, spewing flames off to the sides as he approached. Nick didn't have anything to hold them off with until the patrol arrived. Backup would be there in about five minutes, but he and Judy would be nice and crispy in about one.

 **DUN DUN DUN! So how about that chapter for my return, huh? Pretty nice, eh? A little humor, a little romance and then a whole lotta 'splody stuff happening. I'll be updating a lot more frequently from now on now that everything has kinda simmered down.**

 **Please leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter! Don't forget to vote on my poll about whether or not you believe bullets exist in Zootopia! Also! I forgot to mention this, but there is a part in my story later on where I'm gonna need some usernames for some hackers. I figured instead of making some up, why not check and see if any of you guys want your usernames in the story. Just PM me with your username, what mammal you want your character to be and what personality you want them to have and if I really like it, I'll pick it!**

 **Alright! Expect another chapter a little later this week!**

 **More to come…**


	9. AN: Comeback

**They say there once was a writer who could think of unique stories with twists to keep his readers guessing, all while balancing three different stories in three different fandoms at once; a writer who could develop fresh characters with new backstories that were tied to the original characters, but yet held their own as their own separate tale. The more he wrote, the more attention and feedback his work obtained, until he became a somewhat well-known author in the fandoms he wrote for. However, one day, he vanished. Due to the intense amount of pressure at his college and the death of his childhood Golden Retriever, he both lost the motivation to write and hit writer's block.**

 **However, from the mist, he returns, fully recovered from his loss and with a general idea of how to balance his schoolwork. In that time he was gone, he was able to figure out each general direction he wanted his stories to go in while keeping them interesting, thrilling, suspenseful and somewhat grounded in a basis of reality.**

 **He steps forward, having practiced what he was going to say for his prolonged absence. He is ready. Opening his mouth and with a gleam of creativity, playfulness and mischief in his eyes, he asks…**

…

…

…

" **How's it slouchin', my bro-hams?"**

" **Best introduction ever" 10/10 – IGN**

 **So after that weird intro/explanation, we get to this part. Everything in there is true. College has been kicking my butt for the past month, but I think I've found a way to manage the workload. And yes, my Golden Retriever, Daisy, died back in August on my birthday. She was 12 and was, sadly, riddled with cancer. We didn't have enough money to go through with an operation, and even if we did, we found out she was anemic, meaning that once she started bleeding, she couldn't stop. That meant even if the surgery was a success in removing the tumors, she would have bled out. There was no real way to save her. And while I still miss my puppy, I'm happy she passed in her sleep in our home next to my mom, for whom she probably cared the most for. Anyway, I've coped with this and have put it behind me, because after that, I lost my motivation to write. So for those of you who were asking where the new updates were, that's why I didn't even put up an Author's Note. I felt like I would owe some kind of explanation, and it would've saddened me too much at that time to recount all of this.**

 **But now I'm back. I'm going to update my KFP and Zootopia stories and finish off part one for my Sonic story. Answers will be revealed in the Zootopia story as I go along, a sinister plot will come closer to fruition in the KFP story, and an epic and unforeseen stand will take place in the final chapter of the Sonic story. And a message to the Zootopia readers: I feel like I'm about to jump the shark with the flamethrower. I'll explain how that came to be and dial it back a little on the ridiculous scale from now on.**

 **I'm planning on updating all of my stories at the same time, which means I'll be writing three different chapters for three different stories. Expect these to be posted on the 6** **th** **or 7** **th** **of October. For real this time. I don't expect anything else to happen to prohibit me from updating. It's been far too long and I've missed you guys.**

 **And if this message sounds a little less energetic than you're used to, that's because I stayed up until 2 this morning studying for a test, had a double-shot coffee a little while ago and am now feeling the crash.**

 **So sorry for the downer AN, but that's why I was gone for so long. But now I'm back. I know I say that a lot, but I won't be held down by this any longer. Now… IT'S TIME TO WRITE!**

 **P.S. For an undecided amount of time, I'm going to have a picture of my Golden as my profile picture on here in memory. For the two people that actually check my profile from time to time, that's the reason for the picture change.**


	10. Just Roll With It

**Hi guys! Shameless self-advertising writer here, reminding you to check out my account! I mean, why wouldn't you pay me for something that I do for fun, for free, and on my own time compared to more important stuff like food, clothes and social activities in order to acquire more friends and not fall into crippling social anxiety like me. HA HA HA!**

 **But yes, I do have a . Didn't know what it was. Set up an account. Found out what it was. Didn't like the idea. Am too lazy to take it down. DON'T donate to that. Please. It's not functional. So to that one person who happened upon my abandoned profile on that site and kindly donated fifty cents, again, as I said in the PM I sent, I'm sorry that I didn't get your money and that it is now somewhere in cyber space (probably funding the Illuminati's next move. Conspiracy confirmed 100% legit guarantee).**

 **But yeah. Um…let's continue, shall we?**

 **(Oh, and thanks for sticking with the story and managing to surpass the 100 review marker A.K.A. my highest number yet)**

 **(Oh, and also, I've decided while bullets may exist in Zootopia, I'm not gonna include them in the story. It doesn't seem like a Disney thing to do, ignoring Tarzan and Bambi, and I can find plenty more life-threatening ways to put our heroes in danger without the use of bullets. Thanks for the feedback, though!)**

Nick's brain was slamming itself into a giant red button inside his mind that read "Panic." He had assessed his situation, quite rapidly might he add, multiple times already. Two masked criminals had slashed out Judy and his cruiser tires using road spikes that were covered up by the snow prior. Upon skidding off the road and crashing, Nick had to harness the inner strong-fox in him and pull his unconscious partner from the driver's seat and behind the car. The reason? One crook had a sniper rifle packed with Night Howler pellets that was pointed right at them, keeping them from running away. To prevent them from just sitting in the same spot until backup arrived, the other criminal pulled a move straight out of the Tailien movie and pulled out a flamethrower that they happened to have in the trunk of their car.

To wrap it all up in a nice sentence: He was in a bad situation that was getting worse by the second.

The only conscious officer at the moment peeked out from behind the car again, taking into account that the one with the fiery weapon was now within range of his tranq gun, and could be hit without being affected by the howling winds that much. Taking a gamble, Nick clutched his dart pistol and carefully brought it around the side of the damaged vehicle and glanced out once more. Seeing his chance, the fox took aim.

* * *

*With the sniper, a couple minutes earlier*

The sharpshooter slouched over the hood of the car, maintaining sight on the police car using his right eye, which was looking through the scope, and not his left, which was shut tight for maximum precision if worse came to worse. The butt of the gun was pressed firmly back against his right shoulder and his right index finger was hovering over the trigger. His only task was to make sure the two officers didn't escape in time before him and his partner gave them a good scare.

Yes, that was their dull, boring mission given to them by their boss. He remembered the mastermind of the group saying that if you couldn't scare someone out of doing something, then you get those around them to forcefully make them quit. So, here the two of them were. In his opinion, he'd much rather kidnap the two cops, hold them at ransom and unless Bogo stepped down from his position as Chief of Police and the mayor forfeit her office as well, the two would be…thrown into a lake with a cannonball strapped to their legs…or something like that. But no matter how genius of an idea he came up with, the others in the group shot him down due to their own petty quarrels with each of their own targets. They all wanted to personally get revenge, to which the marksman found respectable, yet insensible. He too wanted payback against that flat-headed, ill-tempered, wildebeest known as Chief Bogo, however letting emotions get in the way when it came to fighting and surviving could prove painful.

The orphanage had taught him that, and, by relation, so had the current chief of police.

Back to the matter at hand, though. The crook noticed that his fire-obsessed comrade was getting rather close to the two officers, drifting away from the scare tactic and more towards the flame-grilled BBQ tactic. If there was one thing that the sniper didn't want to be on, it was the bad side of their leader. Despite his own personal survival skills, he was no match for the highly trained henchmen that worked for the crime boss.

Using his free left hand, he tapped the earpiece through the mask that covered his head, preventing both the wind and snow stinging his face, and the officers from seeing his identity.

"Getting a little close their, wolf. I suggest you back off a little so you don't scorch the two. We're just here to scare them and deliver a message, alright? Nothing more."

" _Aw, come on, Belynxsy! It won't hurt just to lightly toast them around the edges! Ha ha! We've got time!"_ Came the reply.

The marksman visibly cringed. "I didn't give you permission to use my last name, you drooling mutt. Hopps or Wilde could have heard that. If they were to track me down, it's game over for the rest of us. Bite your tongue."

" _Whatever, man! I'm gonna have a little more fun with 'em before we take off. Just sit back and relax. Try not to burst a vessel in that hard head of yours!"_

"I swear if you don't hurry up and get back here, we're going to be under some serious…"

The sharpshooter trailed off as he spotted the gleaming tip of a tranquilizer pistol slowly edge its way out from behind the police cruiser. He quickly looked towards his partner and deduced that he was now in shooting range of one of the officers' dart gun. If he were to get hit and go down, the sniper would either have to leave him behind and possibly doom their plan if he cracked, or risk getting hit himself by going after the wolf. Both options were too dangerous. Instead, he moved the crosshairs directly over the tip of the dart gun and fired a shot, splattering some Night Howler serum all over the front part of the tranquilizer and knocking it out of the cop's hand. The weapon flipped once in the air before landing in the snow a little ways away, out in the open.

"What did I say? Get back here now!"

" _Alright, alright! Gimme a sec, though. This thing is heavier than an elephant after an all-you-can-eat peanut buffet!"_

The sniper complied with the request and kept an eye on the police cruiser…for a couple seconds. The sounds of squealing tires and engine roars that suddenly punctured the crisp tundra air snapped his attention away from the cops and onto the four black vans that had emerged from the snowstorm. Each one abruptly halted and curved to the side to maximize cover in case a firefight went down. Slowly, four polar bears emerged from each vehicle, pulling their own tranquilizer pistols, and due to the close proximity between him and them, these guys were now a threat. He was outnumbered, and therefore couldn't take them on. His best bet was to leave, which he had already been trying to do.

"Just drop it and haul it back here," Belynxsy hissed, slowly folding up the sniper rifle and laying it down on the hood of the car, careful as to not make any sudden hostile movements.

" _But the boss said no leaving evidence behi—"_

"And us getting captured will count as that. The flamethrower is not that big of a clue anyway and we can explain it to him when we get back. Now drop it and…Get. Over. Here."

* * *

*With Nick*

Upon seeing the brigade of shady looking vans pull up, the mini army of polar bears in suits get out and the two criminals dropping their weapons and slowly making their way back to their car, the ex-con decided to act on a saying that he's used in almost every day of his life so far: "Just roll with it."

However, while the inner coward in him wanted to keep hiding behind the car until backup arrived, the inner brave police officer that had emerged throughout his time on the force surfaced instead. He couldn't just let these guys get away after what they did to his bunny buddy. He'd be in for a lecture from her for sure if that happened. And so, using all of his training, skills and experience in police work, he acted upon the most logical decision that popped into his head. In other words, he dove for his tranq gun that was laying out open in the snow.

When he did, though, everything hit the fan. His sudden movement for his dart pistol spooked the two crooks, who in turn pulled two of their own tranquilizer weapons and opened fire on both the polar bears and Nick himself. The polar bears then fired their own darts at the criminals, failing to hit either of the two as they got into their car. However, before the front passenger door shut, the foxy officer managed to get one shot off, nailing the one who had been carrying the flamethrower right in the hand as they were shutting the door. The car then screeched something unholy before their assailants drove off into the snow storm.

Groaning and rolling over so his back was buried in the frozen precipitation, ZPD's first fox shut his eyes and dropped his weapon beside him.

"This week sucks!" He called out to no one in particular, letting the frosty wind beat against his orange coat of fur. "Why can't I just go back to my place and eat some pizza rolls?"

The sound of snow shuffling made him, begrudgingly, sit up and look around. The polar bears were now surrounding the cruiser and scanning for…something. Maybe anymore maniacs who wanted to kamikaze their way in an attempt to take him out again, only to be met with a beating like no other? Regardless, he also noticed two of the mammals wrapping Judy in a large, fuzzy blanket before carrying her still unconscious form back to one of the vans. A third suit picked up the flamethrower that was dropped, carefully switched it off with the help of a few others, and then placed it in the back of a different vehicle. The rest helped the former criminal up off the ground and into the same van where Judy was before closing the door and starting the car. It didn't take long to notice, once he got in the car and buckled up, the tiny swivel chair that was placed on the dashboard of the car. And in that chair, sat Mr. Big.

"Nick, my boy," The mob boss stated in his usual raspy tone. "I heard we needed to talk about some issues that… you clearly have."

* * *

*Twenty minutes later*

After a nice, warm car ride back to Mr. Big's home, Officer Wilde was quickly escorted into the all-too-familiar meeting room while Judy was carried off into a different part of the building. One of the polar bears walked directly behind a large wooden desk and gently placed the tiny chair on the table. Approaching the arctic shrew and kissing his ring, Nick stepped back and nervously grinned at the crime lord.

"So… Thanks for the help out there," The fox cheered, attempting to mask his obvious fear of being back here.

Granted, technically the last time he was here was when he and Judy had to get Weaselton to spill the beans back during the Night Howler case. However, that was when Officer Hopps, also known as Fru Fru's godmother, was present. Now there was no one near him to vouch for the fox in case he got into hot water.

"Yes, it looked like you had everything under control as usual," Mr. Big responded. "Mammals still trying to skin you alive, Nick. Some things never change."

Nick raised a finger in his defense, however he was swiftly cut off by a way of the arctic shrew's tiny paw.

"In any case, you need not worry about your partner—my daughter's godmother, that is. She's being cared for as we speak," He added before leaning forward in his chair and lowering his eyebrows. "Now why is it that two criminals ambushed a couple cops on my ground?"

Of course it was a question the fox didn't have an answer to. Unanswered questions were becoming a frequent issue this week.

"You have no idea, do you?" The mob boss continued, reading the dumbfounded expression on Nick's face very well. "Could it be related to the arson attack on your chief's car?"

"That's right!" The ex-con exclaimed, snapping his fingers and widening his eyes in fear. "The chief! I called for backup! They're probably at the crime scene by now. I have to let Bogo know what happened and where we are."

"Relax, Nick," Mr. Big assured. "I already contacted him and told him where you were. You can let him know what you went through when you return. We both have more pressing issues to attend to."

"Uh…Like what?"

"Like figuring out whoever is behind these attacks. This isn't about you or your partner. It never was, but now whoever is orchestrating these events has made a move in my area. Allowing this to go without punishment is a sign of weakness, and weakness is something I do not tolerate," Explained the tiny mammal. "Now, you were going to meet with me for a reason. What is it?"

Starting from when he turned savage in the ZPD parking lot all the way up until when they were attacked, the fox cop recounted the events that had happened so far. Throughout his tale, the miniscule crime boss kept a neutral expression with a head nod every now and then, and when the story was over, he snapped his fingers once and one of his henchman sauntered off.

"So you're willing to risk your life again to enter the underground black market in order to solve this case, hm? Either your partner is rubbing off on you, or you're growing a little more backbone," Mr. Big said, resting his hands on the arms of his chair and giving a discreet smirk. "Like I said, weakness is something I do not tolerate. You have my respect, Nick."

A brief moment passed before the polar bear that was sent away returned again with two small black boxes in his palm. He set them both on the table next to his boss and opened only one so the fox could see what was inside. A ring was wedged inside the gray cushion; it was a very simplistic design with a silver band wrapping around a black stone that had Mr. Big's seal imprinted on it.

"These will allow you to get into the black market without much trouble," The shrew explained. "I have some influence in the trade that goes on there, so if someone questions you, show them the rings and you'll get through. You're still one of the biggest faces in law enforcement, though, so it'd be in both of our best interests if you didn't show your faces that much and kept a low profile. If you get caught and traced back to me, that would be a very bad situation for all of us."

Nick smiled and nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, Don Big."

"Go check on your partner, Nick. It's a rare thing when a girl has stuck with ya for this long."

The fox's heart skipped a beat and was escorted out of the room by two polar bears. He was on his way to see his fuzzy friend.

 **Alright, so this chapter didn't have much humor or action, but it was needed in order to transition from one thing to the next. Don't worry, though. The next chapter will have many more laughs and random character cameos, so sit tight for that one!**

 **So sorry for taking so long. Wanna know why and feel like getting super depressed? Go check out the previous author's note if you haven't already?**

 **And yes, I know this was also a short chapter and it may have switched between POV's and times pretty quickly, but like I said before, if there's nothing important going on in the story, why describe it? It'd just be boring filler that people would skim over.**

 **Alright! I'm not gonna give a specific time for when I'm gonna update next, because then I get MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY questions about when I'm gonna upload next. Expect a week or a week and a half for the next chapter. Can't update as fast as I used to. #collegelifehasmademepoorandtired**

 **BUT ANYWAY**

 **More to come…**

 **(P.S. FanFiction, you troll. I just realized the site deleted P.A.T.R.E.O.N. from my author's note at the beginning, hence the weird cut off parts in some sentences. This site sometimes. Hoo boy.)**


	11. The Definition of Awkward

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 **Four words: Hexadecimal to text translator** (づ◔ ͜ʖ◔)づ

 **(Note: Use the .info one that comes up on Google. It's translates that the best. Or don't translate it. You'll never know what the message says. It could be the secret to immortality. Or wealth. Even fame. It could even tell you if Half Life 3 will ever be released.)**

The fox, along with his two bodyguards now, moved throughout the Big estate towards the medicinal room that harbored within the structure. Supposedly, Judy was there being taken care of, and if Nick had to take a wild shot in the dark…or possibly a Wilde shot in the dark…he'd guess that Fru Fru was the one tending to the fuzzy bunny. It'd make sense, considering how well the two get along. Best case scenario was that his partner was awake and doing fine, and hopefully he'd be able to ask Fru Fru some questions. He'd already thought of a good one: why does Mr. Big, a known crime boss, have such a good connection with Bogo that the buffalo would entrust the arctic shrew to take care of his two best officers? Also, how did Mr. Big know that he and Judy were in trouble, and know exactly where to find them? Tundra Town isn't exactly miniscule, and that snow storm was pretty bad.

On his way, he took note of the layout of the building. The place was decorated nicely, as expected from a mafia headquarters. The walls bore red crimson wallpaper with gold and black designs strewn throughout. It must have been custom made for Tundra Town walls, because it didn't seem to be damaged at all in some corners where frost was forming due to the harsh winter outside. Paintings of Big relatives and beautiful town squares were hung up everywhere and there were fine wooden chairs and tables aplenty in different rooms and in the halls. There was even an intercom system, however the Big family only used it for playing soft violin music.

After a little while of maneuvering throughout the complex, all the while being escorted by a couple of fairly burly polar bears, the ZPD officer arrived outside a nice, polished, wooden door with a golden plaque that hung on the wall next to it. Engraved in the metal read "Sala Medica," or "Medical Room."

Slowly pushing open the door, the ex-con peered inside to see Judy, who was now awake and sitting up on a metal table, talking to Fru Fru, who was standing on a nearby counter. They appeared to be in the middle of a conversation.

"…scared of? Just tell him how you—"

"Nick! Hey!" The bunny exclaimed, using her amazing hearing to pick up on the squeakiness of the door.

The daughter of Mr. Big looked at Judy with…what was that expression? Knowing? Smugness? Amusement? Whatever the emotion was, it was obvious she didn't mind being cut off.

"How's it going, Carrots?" Nick replied, coolly striding into the room and adjusting his tie. "Glad to see you're alright."

Well, that's what he would've liked to have happened. Instead, what came out was something along the lines of a panicked…

"Judy! You're okay!" He huffed, jogging forward and placing his paws on her shoulders before examining her carefully.

She seemed to be a little roughed up and her uniform was torn around her right calf, and in addition there was a white bandage around the crown of her head from where she collided with the steering wheel after the crash. Other than this, however, she seemed to be alright.

"Worried about me, Nick?" The rabbit asked, raising an eyebrow, lowering her eyelids a tad and giving him a small smirk.

Officer Wilde jokingly wiped some sweat from his brow. "Yeah. If something would've happened to you, Bogo would've transferred me for sure."

"He likes you more than you think," The bunny cop responded, hopping down from the table and placing her hands on her hips. "I heard about what happened. How you pulled me out from the car and held off our surprise attackers until Mr. Big arrived."

"Uh…yeah. I guess. How'd you know?"

"You told Mr. Big, Mr. Big told Fru Fru, and while I was waiting for you to get here, Fru Fru told me. It's funny. Usually I'm the one saving you…" Judy continued.

Nick snorted and smiled. "False."

His partner walked forward a few steps and embraced him in a tight hug, squeezing him a little. "…But it's nice to have the roles reversed every once in a while. Thanks for taking care of me, Sly."

The fox sweat dropped before draping his arms around her tiny figure and holding her close, taking in the moment. He was glad she was safe, obviously, but a pang of guilt resided within him. He claimed to have protected her, but to him, all he did was pull her out of the car and cower behind the wreckage. He couldn't detain one of their assailants and if Mr. Big had conveniently shown up, both of them would've been toast. That thought reminded him…

"Fru Fru," Wilde began, drawing the attention of the tiny arctic shrew. "Hi, by the way. Uh, quick question. How'd your father know where to find us?"

"Oh, Tundra Town is our area, Nicky," The daughter of the mob boss replied sweetly, waving her paw. "Any disturbance in this part of Zootopia, and we know right away. Plus, Daddy has some spare police radios that some of our polar bears listen to."

"Police radios? Did he get those legally?" The fox pried.

"I'm just happy they got to you guys in time!" She continued, ignoring the officer's question. "Luckily I was able to take care of Judy here pretty easily and it was nothing serious. If it was, we would've had to take you to the hospital, and your chief would've been very cross with Daddy. It would have just been a mess!"

That brought up the second point, however Judy was the one who got the beat on that.

"Why's Chief Bogo alright with you guys taking care of us? That's not like him," The bunny said.

Fru Fru nodded. "True, dear, but he has a little more trust in us since we helped you solve the Night Howler case two years ago. Plus, Daddy's been doing very well lately with staying on the right side of the law. He's always tried to conduct business in a legal fashion. Besides, since we've basically turned over a new leaf, Daddy's old way of doing things are being overshadowed by his new way."

It sounded plausible. However, the two cops still had a rough time believing that Bogo trusted a mob boss when he still had a rough time trusting the two of them occasionally. Despite Mr. Big conducting his business more legally now, according to his daughter, who might be a little biased anyway, the ZPD officers still weren't completely buying the story that Bogo trusted this mobster family. Could this case, with the attack on his home, be more personal to him? Maybe. The two would have to ask him when they next saw him.

Nick and Judy glanced at each other, silently acknowledging that they'd have to meet with their chief sometime soon.

"So," The diva sang. "You two must be cold. Been holding on to each other for a long time now!"

The bunny cop's ears dropped and the fox's face heated up slightly as the two let go of each other and took a step back. Look up "awkward" in the dictionary and you get a picture of this scenario, along with a picture of Chief Bogo dancing at a Gazelle concert, Clawhauser trying to sing, and a college student sitting in front of a computer typing a fanfic.

"So," Judy finally stated, regaining her composure and clearing her throat. "You spoke with Mr. Big, so I assume you know how to get into the black market?"

The fox grinned and nodded, crouching down to her level and pulling a small, black box out from behind his back. In accordance with this gesture, the rabbit's ears flattened behind her head and her eyes bugged out from her skull. Slowly, she clasped her paws over her mouth and spoke in a shaky voice.

"Uh…N-Nick? What're…Wh…What're y-you doing?" She stammered, seeing the position he was in.

"You wanted to know how we're getting in, so I'm giving you…"

The former criminal trailed off and gave his partner a quizzical look before recapping his movements that caused her to act this way. In order to match her height, he crouched down on one knee so he could give her a…black box…with a ring inside…

Whoops.

Add another picture in the dictionary definition for "awkward."

* * *

*With Judy, an hour and a half later, outside an abandoned amusement park*

After thanking Fru Fru for her help in patching up the bunny, Mr. Big gave the two officers the location for the main entrance to the black market and a change of clothes in order to hide the fact that they were police. Shortly after, the two drove off and made small talk along the way, such as what the park would now look like, nervous as to what would await them in the underbelly of Zootopia. When the mob boss said that the entrance was located in an abandoned amusement park, the heroes of Zootopia imagined something that was somewhat well kept, but was fenced off, boarded up, and deemed fit for demolition. Needless to say, it didn't meet their expectations, and it certainly didn't compare with the Boardwalk, which was a newer hangout with better attractions, and basically replaced this park.

Located in between the rainforest district and Savannah Central, the area had three rollercoasters—all of them wooden, which were rotting due to the rain that had come through from the rainforest district nearby. Colored lightbulbs surrounded almost every wall of the park, however ninety percent of them were burned out, and the other ten percent were shattered due to delinquents wanting to break something. A dusty, gross food cart sat off to the far right of the entrance without a vendor to take care of it. A few game booths in the distance were now unusable due to their overhead covers being either torn or caved in. In the middle of the depressing scene, a deflated red balloon lay on the ground—a child's memory of a great day that was now long forgotten. Greeting Judy and Nick was a large, metallic, rusty and worn out sign: Wilde Times.

"A relative of yours?" The rabbit questioned, walking inside the park with her partner in tow.

"Doubtful. My family was never in the amusement park business. I'm sure my family aren't the only ones with the last name of Wilde, though," The ex-con responded softly, looking around. "Although if I hadn't been a con artist and never became a cop, I think I would've liked running one of these."

The bunny's heart warmed a little at the sentiment. "The smug, suave Nicholas Wilde, who used to fake emotion to make a quick buck, would've run a quaint theme park like this in hopes of bringing smiles to little kids' faces?"

"What can I say, Carrots?" The fox sighed, walking up to his friend and giving her a soft nuggie. "I guess I'm just an old softy."

"E-Eh…Excuse me, you two," An older, deeper and more soothing voice called out from their left.

The two turned to see a lion in a construction uniform slowly walk over with a clipboard in hand. He had an orange hard hat that covered his long, black hair, which draped slightly over his orange vest. In addition, he wore black pants with a bright green stripe down each side of the pantleg, which matched his piercing green feline pupils. What really stood out to Judy was the noticeable scar across his left eye. Hoping to figure out the name of this construction worker, Judy peered at the name badge that was pinned to the vest.

"Racs…" She said aloud, reading the lion's nametag.

"Uh, yes. That's my name. I'm sorry, but this park is shut down. We're taking count of the pipelines around the area so when we tear the place down, we don't hit anything," The worker explained. "I'm sorry, but this isn't safe for you to be here. You must leave immediately."

Judy was about to speak up when Nick gently moved his left arm in front of her. Calmly grabbing ahold of the collar on the jacket Mr. Big had given him as a part of his disguise, the fox made sure that the construction worker could see the mob ring that he was wearing on his finger.

"We're just here to…look around," Officer Wilde replied, subtly flashing the ring the arctic shrew had given both of them.

The worker gave the fox a puzzled look before turning to the rabbit, who, after a minor hesitation, raised her hand up as well, twisting the ring around her finger slightly. The lion, in response, took a deep breath in and straightened his posture ever so slightly, motioning towards the maintenance door of a broken down arcade.

"Then I believe the power modules in the arcade area require your examination," Racs stated before turning around and walking off.

Judy, slightly dumbfounded as to what had just transpired, looked up at her foxy friend…fox…her fox friend.

"I can read a phony pretty well when I see one, Carrots. Sometimes you just gotta think on your feet and go with your gut," He whispered, clasping his paw in her's and guiding her towards the maintenance door.

Once the two cops stopped right outside the metallic entrance, Judy knocked on the door. A few seconds passed before it opened a crack, revealing a pair of gleaming eyes shining in the darkness surrounding them.

"Representing?" The figure hissed.

"Uh…Mr. Big," The bunny replied, showing her ring once more.

The mystery animal glanced at the shiny object that was wrapped around Officer Hopps' finger before opening the door wider. The one who'd been guarding the entrance was a fox, like Nick, except this one bore blue gloves and had a blue bandana wrapped around his head. Tiny holes in the make-shift mask allowed him to see, however aside from the previously mentioned gloves, he was completely bare.

"Alright, come on in," The criminal said hoarsely. "And if you say one word about my lack of clothing I'll steal everything ya got without you knowing it!"

The two cops nodded nervously before entering the complex. Looking around, it was clear that this place had existed for some time. One reason being that there were stairs going down towards the ground floor, where crooks, thieves and scoundrels bartered, sold, traded and stole illegal goods from one another. This meant that this entire establishment was underneath the arcade—underneath the entire park, and it went deep. The massive size of it all made it clear that this wasn't something that was haphazardly put together. This was a project that had taken years to accomplish, and it all happened under the noses of the civilians that attended this park.

Before the duo went any further, Nick took out his signature sunglasses and placed them on his face to mask his features, and Judy dawned a ballcap for the same reason. Despite their new attire, their faces could easily be recognized. They were lucky the lion outside hadn't picked up on them.

"Ah! New faces!" An energetic lemur with a crown made of grass exclaimed, rushing over and shaking the hands of the two partners. "Welcome! Ah! I see you have the rings of Mr. Big! Yes, yes! You must be very important. Important, indeed! You will be treated like royalty here! Like me, yes. I help run things here. Come! I will show you all of our latest wares and give you a tour of the market! Let us go! Move it, move it!"

The two exchanged confused expressions, obviously unsure what to make of it all. They had planned that they would split up and try to dig up information throughout the market. They had planned on being in and out as quickly as possible before notifying their colleagues after a few days had passed, so as to not raise suspicion that Mr. Big had a hand in it all. Yes, they had planned this, however one hyperactive, slightly annoying lemur had randomly appeared from the mass of crooks on the ground floor and insisted on acting as their tour guide. Deciding not to raise suspicion, the two silently agreed to go along with it for now. They could always split up and go clue hunting later.

* * *

*Forty minutes later*

"…And over here we have some weird stuff. Dunno what it is. Never tried it myself. Don't do it," The lemur continued, motioning towards a blue and purple cat.

"Don't be such a stickler, Jules," The feline sighed with a wide grin. "My catnip is the best in the business."

"Quiet, you creepy, smiling, land-of-wonder cat," The egotistical animal retorted dismissively. "Now, my friends, as you may have seen, this is a bull market. We are thriving! Yes, everything is good. Business is up due to a very large buyer of ours. See? Bull market! No crummy bear market."

"I take offense to that!" A golden bear in a red shirt called from the group's left, shaking his fist slightly and in turn knocking over jars of honey. "Oh, bother…"

"Silly bear…Ah! But yes! My friends, that is the end of the tour! Did you see anything you liked? Catch your eye? Maybe some nice jewelry for the lady, yes?" The lemur rambled, shifting his gaze to Nick. "Finest jewelry. Comes straight from the best store in Zootopia. None compare."

The fox grinned and wrapped his arm around Judy, pulling her closer to him, which made her cheeks heat up a bit. "I would, but we're here on Mr. Big's time. He was interested in some Night Howlers, if you had any. Said that it'd be a beautiful gift for a…friend of his."

"Ah, yes! Night Howlers! We do have large supplies of those coming in all the time now. Very strange, yes, but I'm sorry to say that all of them are bought, boxed and shipped as soon as they arrive. Same name every time, too. They must really like the pretty flower, yes," The mammal babbled.

"Um, well, could you perhaps tell us who's buying all of these? Mr. Big really wants these flowers, so he'll want the name of who's buying so we can…er…make a deal with them," Judy pried.

The black and white animal nodded and snapped his fingers. Within moments a small elephant with abnormally large ears walked over, handed him a clipboard, and then walked off while mumbling something about "pink elephants."

"Yes…Um…Oh! Right here, it says. Night Howlers, of course. But no, they are not being bought by one person. My mistake. A company, yes. Very strange. Only a few companies deal with us," The black market assistant said, reading the papers on the clipboard. "They are being bought and specially delivered by a company named Puma Power Chemicals. Oh, what a silly name! Ha ha ha! Very silly, yes!"

Puma Power Chemicals.

Founded, run and managed by CEO Matthew Pumanak.

 _Gotcha,_ Judy thought to herself.

 **ALRIGHT! So my reason for being so late to update? College. That's all. Just college. Don't worry about me losing my will to write. I'd never give up on this story.**

 **So how many references to other characters did you find? There were 6 laced throughout that second half of the chapter. Lemme know which ones you found in the reviews!**

 **Ah, and what were your thoughts on the Wilde Times nod I stuck in there?**

 **Sorry if I don't seem as energetic while writing this end note here, but it's 2 a.m. where I'm at! Why did I stay up so late writing this? Because I love you guys! Was this a good idea? Probably not! Am I gonna fall asleep on the keyboard and mess up the last part of the note? More than likely!**

 **So, as always, more to coergeivsdhasdhisofdhsfagdaudiasgduasidasddddfb**


	12. The Criminal's Dumpster Fire

*****Congratulations to Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps for being the first one to get all of the character references on their first try! U ween! Second place is certainlynotfred15 and third is HawkTooth. In order, it went Scar from The Lion King (The construction hat was a disguise and had nothing to do with his character), Swiper from Dora the Explorer, King Julien from Madagascar, Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, Pooh Bear from Winnie the Pooh, and Dumbo from…well…Dumbo. I'll do more of these in the future, but with only one in random places. They'll be a little trickier, some of them.*****

 **So before I get right into the chapter, I wanna say a couple things:**

 **Don't think I've forgotten about those characters you guys PM'd me about a few chapters ago. I'm using them later. Gotta make the story flow, yo. Get it? No? Okay…**

 **I've read over the past couple chapters and found them to be so-so. I'm gonna try to fix that now. Make this story great again. Overused joke 2016.**

 **Have you ever questioned why people put disclaimers before their chapters saying that they don't own the fandom they're writing about? Like, of course you don't. If you did, you'd be writing it for said show/movie/book/game and so on, making millions. You wouldn't put it up here for a select few to see. And don't even come at me with that "they do it so FanFiction doesn't hit them with the ban brick." In all the stories I've written, I might've said that twice. I'm still here. So…HEY FANFICTION! GUESS WHAT! I DO OWN ZOOTOPIA! WHAT'RE YA GONNA DO, HUH?**

…

…

…

 **See? Nothing ha—[404 Error: The author with this username either can not be found at this time or no longer exists. If you keep experiencing this problem, please follow Ron Swanson's example and toss your computer in the garbage. But we know you won't do that. You love our site too much to get rid of your precious device. You belong to us now. We are FanFiction, and we own you. Ha. Ha. Ha.]**

 **(NOTE: If you're seeing this being reuploaded, that's because something must've glitched with FF. Some of the formatting I had got messed up in the upload process. You might not be able to notice it, but I do. Fixed it, so...yeah. Guess they didn't like me talking smack about 'em.)**

 ***Ten minutes later***

"I am so sad to see you go, my friends!" The lemur exclaimed as he escorted the two back to the entrance, handing Judy a copy of the Night Howler order sheet. "Are you sure you do not want to buy the shiny gems that we have here? Maybe some enhanced technology to better yourselves?"

The bunny cop turned to the salesman as she continued to move towards the door. "Enhanced technology?"

"For predators only, I'm sad to say. Yes. The manufacturer wishes it. Very early stage of testing. Only a twenty percent chance of death! Very low! Fox?" The criminal cheered.

"I'm alright. Besides, I only have Mr. Big's money on me, and he wouldn't want me using his cash on myself when this was supposed to be a business trip," The ex-con calmly lied, reaching the door and leaning against it. "Don't worry, we'll be back. Promise."

"It fills me with great joy to hear that! I will see you soon, my friends!" The small crook said before running back down the stairs and into the hectic crowd of scum.

The same fox who had let them in nodded at the two undercover cops before opening the door and waving them out. Judy and Nick didn't look back as they exited the hidden black market made their way out of the old park. Getting in the black car that Mr. Big had provided them, since their police cruiser was both obvious and totaled, the two officers drove off and headed back to the precinct.

About two minutes after the park had disappeared from their sight, Judy exhaled loudly, drawing attention from her partner in the passengers seat.

"That was quite possibly the most stressed I've ever been," She groaned, rolling her head from side to side in order to get the kinks out of her neck. "Could you imagine if we had been found out? We would've been ripped apart! Nobody would've found us!"

"I'm just happy that no one I had previously worked with was there. That would've been pretty bad," Nick added, clicking his tongue and smirking.

The rabbit looked at him as if he belonged on the funny farm. "How're you still so calm? That was horrifying!"

"I wasn't a successful con artist for many years by being a bad actor, Carrots. It's all about bottling what you're actually feeling and showing others what they want to see," The fox replied, adjusting the shades on his face. "Ya know, I think I look good in this outfit. I'm keeping it. What about you, Slugger?"

"Slugger?"

"You're still wearing your baseball cap."

Briefly taking her eyes off the road, the bunny glanced up at the brim of her hat. Reaching to his left, Nick grasped said brim and twisted it so the hat was on backwards. Amused with himself, Officer Wilde chuckled to himself, whipped out his phone and snapped a picture.

"Can you say new wallpaper? I sure can," He stated with mischief dancing in his eyes. "Looks like the thug life chose you, Fluff."

"Oh, for sure, Slick," Came the reply.

The two had a nice, playful banter about the outfits they were wearing all the way back to the station. Pulling into a parking spot, the two cops got out and walked inside. While Judy went to give the information she found to Bogo, Nick opted to hand out by the front desk and chat with Clawhauser. He was already prepared to hear earfuls about Gazelle and her upcoming concert.

As the two officers walked into the main ZPD building, they were bum rushed by a lot of their coworkers, friends, any of the like. Questions like "Are you alright?" and "What happened?" flew at them, while others made comments like "I'm just glad you guys are alive." After reassuring the other cops that they were fine, Judy left for Bogo's office while some went to retrieve the experimental flamethrower from the trunk of the car the two had arrived in. That would be shipped to the forensics department as soon as possible. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, Nick found himself right where he planned to be: Clawhauser's desk.

"I. Was so. Worried," The cheetah huffed dramatically. "Do you know how much stress you've caused me? I swear I've got some gray fur now because of you two."

"Not the first time I've heard that, Ben," Nick chuckled, lowering his sunglasses. "Nothing to be worried about. We're fine. Just a couple bumps here and there. Can't wait to give that after-action report to the Chief. That's gonna be a joyous time."

"Well then, if you're sure you're alright…" Clawhauser stated, popping a glazed doughnut into his mouth. "Do you have tickets to the Gazelle concert yet? I'm not exaggerating when I say, like, eighty-five percent of the force is gonna be there. It's supposed to be her biggest show yet. She's gonna have opening acts by Jimmy 'B' Rabbit, Justin Beaver, Paul McCatney—"

"Ben…"

"It's indoors, so there's gonna be sparklers and flashing lights and—"

"Ben…" Nick called, a little louder this time.

"There's even a rumor that there's gonna be a limitless supply of food and sweets there! Maybe—"

"Ben!" The fox exclaimed, smacking the counter and stopping the secretary from going full fanboy. "No, I haven't gotten my tickets yet. I do wanna go, though. Sounds like a nice time. Yeah…"

"You gonna take Judy?"

"Hm? Why?"

"You're friends. You went a year ago…" The cheetah explained before, under his breath, adding. "And I kinda ship you two."

"Um, what was that last part, Spots?" The officer asked, leaning forward and pushing his shades back up on his face.

"Hm? Oh, I just sneezed," Clawhauser lied.

"I didn't hear you sneeze."

"It was quiet."

"Sneezes aren't usually quiet, Spots," The former crook pressed, knitting his eyebrows together.

"I have a condition."

Nick eyeballed his friend for a couple seconds before giving up on the whole ordeal. Whatever possibly snarky comment the cheetah had made wasn't worth the effort to try to uncover. "To answer your question, I was planning to, actually. I'm probably gonna go back to my apartment tonight and see if I can order them. Hopefully I won't get stuck with seats in the nosebleed section. That'd suck."

The plump secretary nodded, his eyes looking towards the door of Chief Bogo, which had been shut ever since Judy had entered. "The Chief is going, too. Speaking of which, what'd you guys find out there?"

* * *

*With Judy, ten minutes earlier, inside Bogo's office*

The giant cape buffalo quickly escorted the rabbit officer inside his office and gently shut the cheap wooden door. Waiting for Hopps to take her seat, Bogo maneuvered his way around the chair and plopped down across from her. Taking a deep breath in and clasping his hooves together, he studied the rabbit before speaking.

"I see Mr. Big took good care of you and Officer Wilde, as I suspected. You are the godmother of his daughter's child," The Chief of the ZPD stated. "Tomorrow I want both you and Wilde to submit your after action reports on what happened while you were out today. This includes your ambush."

"Of course, Chief," Judy responded. "We were actually able to recover the weapon one of the criminals was using. We have reason to believe that it was the same arsonist who blew up your car that was wielding it."

"It wasn't blown up, Hopps," Bogo growled. "It just became a bit…crispy. That's a crucial lead in finding out who's behind all this. I don't need some one-man army going around burning, hacking and shooting my officers. If he didn't wear gloves, then we could pull some DNA from the device and run that through our scanners."

"Actually, Chief, there were two that attacked us," The bunny corrected, receiving a raised eyebrow from her boss. "I'm going to guess you didn't know that."

The cape buffalo leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at his best officer. "Enlighten me."

"From what Nick told me, there were two assailants: the one with the flamethrower and one with a sniper rifle filled with Night Howler pellets. While who we assume to be the arsonist closed in on us, the other guy kept Nick from moving out from behind the car due to his extreme accuracy. Apparently, he was able to shoot Nick's tranq gun out of his hand without hitting him? I was unconscious, so the details are a little hard for me to picture. You'll have to ask him."

Bogo's expression didn't soften whatsoever. "I plan to."

Judy sweat dropped and patted her legs in nervousness. "Right. But, um, if that is true, then he must have been able to do that against the harsh wind and limited vision. I'd be willing to bet that whoever that was is responsible for the attack on Nick in the parking lot yesterday."

The Chief massaged his temples and groaned. "So we have at least two involved in this. Perfect. My birthday came early this year, I guess."

Bogo leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, taking in a few deep breaths. An odd silence hung in the air as Judy waited for her boss to probably throw her out of his office.

"Two moves against my two best officers in two days. Only four days ago, everything was normal. Now we've got Night Howlers, arsonists, marksmen, hackers…The lot of 'em," He huffed.

"Four days?"

The cape buffalo eyed the cop. "When's the last time you checked a clock, Hopps? I received a call from Mr. Big at two in the morning saying that you two had been attacked and that he was tending to you. You got back here at eight this morning. You haven't been in your apartment yet, have you?"

In reply, Judy shook her head. At the mere mention of how long it had been, she felt her adrenaline and energy die down, and in its place, hunger and tiredness rose. A nice hot bowl of carrot soup and her bed did sound like nirvana right now. What she would give to curl up under the sheets right now.

"Well, I'm giving both you and Officer Wilde the day off today. You're still detailed to this case, but you can't perform your best when your running low on steam. I may be harsh, but I'm not cruel, despite what Officer Wilde may think of me," Bogo stated with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I will be assigning extra detail to the both of you wherever you go from now on, though. Now, go home. Tell your partner that, too. Return tomorrow morning, ready to get back to it. That's an order."

The bunny gratefully smiled at her boss. "Thanks, Chief, but one more thing before I go…"

Reaching into one of her pants pockets, she removed the order sheet for the Night Howlers. It had been slightly wrinkled around the edges from the car ride back to the precinct, but that didn't make it unreadable. She forked over the paper to her boss and let him open it up.

"It's the order form for the massive amounts of Night Howlers being brought into the city. After we left Mr. Big's, we found the black market area that had been funneling illegal and stolen goods throughout the city. The entrance is a maintainance door to the arcade inside the abandoned Wilde Times theme park. I'd recommend waiting a couple days until we arrest everyone there, or else they may suspect it was Nick and I that blew the whistle, and would go after Mr. Big for heloing," Judy stated with a hint of pride. "But back to the list, check where the shipments are being sent to, and who bought them."

The buffalo scanned the document before resting his eyes on a particular spot. "Puma Power Chemicals."

"Run by the CEO, as well as one of the mayor's business friends, Matthew Pumanak."

 **(AN: Sorry to but it right in the middle here, but I went back and noticed that I accidentally said "Michael Pumanak" in the chapter "Mayor May Not." I don't have the file for that chapter anymore, but just to clarify, the two associates of the mayor are Michael Pantherson and Matthew Pumanak, and they're both businessmen. Just for reference. Sorry for my mistake. Am skrub.)**

The Chief looked up from the paper at his best cop with a hardened expression. "While this is concrete evidence of corruption in his company, Hopps, we don't have proof that Pumanak himself is behind this. He's a straight arrow, from what I've seen. Someone inside his company could've authorized this. It's one of the largest chemical companies…possibly ever. I don't know. When you return, I want you to meet with him. Don't reveal anything. See if he seems to know about what's going on in the company. And until we have proof that he's either innocent or guilty, we don't tell the mayor. No use in causing a ruckus without proper evidence."

Judy held her smile and nodded once more, jumping down from the chair and walking to the door. Opening it up, she was about to walk out when the gruff voice from her boss stopped her.

"And Hopps," Bogo called out, causing her to turn and look at him. "Good work today."

Slightly taken back, the bunny cop's ears perked up. "Thanks for the compliment, Chief."

"Don't get used to it. Now get out of my office."

* * *

*With the leader*

"You get all that?" The technical criminal asked, turning around in his chair and disconnecting himself from Bogo's computer.

Inside the dark room, two of his comrades were reclined in their own chairs on opposite sides of each other, while one paced back and forth.

"Yes, I'm sure all of us 'got all that.'" The leader of the four crooks fumed, clenching his fists as he continued to walk back and forth across the center of the room. "Do you know how long it took me to assemble that flamethrower? The amount of money and resources I poured into that? And what happened to it?"

"I had to leave it behind. I would've been captured otherwise!" The arsonist protested, receiving a groan from Belynxsky.

"If you had just listened to me when I said stop advancing, you imbecile, that wouldn't have happened!" The sniper scolded, cracking his knuckles. "If it were up to me, I would've left you in that snow storm to deal with Big's goons."

The head criminal abruptly stopped in his tracks, snapping his head in the direction of where the arsonist was sitting. This caused the fire-obsessed criminal to swallow in fear.

"They talked about pulling DNA from the weapon, but that wouldn't be possible if you were wearing gloves. You were wearing gloves, weren't you?" The leader asked, although the question seemed to be more along the lines of a demand.

"My fur kept me warm, so…no," The arsonist muttered, looking down.

"I'm sorry. Old age must be creeping up on me much faster than I thought…" The fiend seethed, striding towards the crook and grabbing him by the shirt. "I thought I heard you say 'no.'"

The boss of the three villains swiftly yanked the wolf forward, pulling him from his chair and sending him crashing to the ground. Placing his foot on top of the canine, the leader looked down upon the disgraced criminal with fury—his feline eyes boring holes in his back. The hacker tensed up at this sudden display of brute strength while the sniper, Belynxsky, remained in the same position he had been in for the past twenty minutes.

"So when they pull your DNA from that device, they'll know who you are. One Damien Wolfang will be revealed as the arsonist. Your picture, you history…everything you are will be revealed to everyone in Zootopia. You won't be able to go out and show your face without being hunted down by those cops," The head criminal growled. "If you make one more mistake like this again, or get caught, I'm withdrawing the money I deposited in your account.

"WHAT?" Damien exclaimed, trying to quickly get up, but was easily pinned back down on the floor by his boss. "You can't! I promised her!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep," The mastermind threatened, removing his foot from Wolfang's back and walking towards the door. "If you all will excuse me, I have to clean up this dumpster fire before it spreads."

* * *

*With Nick, two hours later, back at his apartment*

Nick barely made it through the door. After receiving word from his partner that the Chief was giving them the entire day off to rest and recuperate, the fox booked it out of there and headed straight for home. He was just as tired and hungry as Judy, if not more so. So, as it were, as soon as the ex-con shut and locked his apartment door, off came the clothes as he made his way to the shower.

Once the shower was turned on, Nick physically became the water. He could practically feel his bones become liquid as the stress and ordeals that he had been carrying with him for an entire day washed off of him. Lather, rinse, briefly fall asleep, and repeat. That was the process he went through for around thirty minutes.

Stumbling out of the bathroom with legs made of jelly, Nick Wilde decided he could eat something later. He could barely stand on his own two feet as it was. This should've surprised him, considering that he felt fine and full of energy a little while ago when talking to Clawhauser, but as soon as he was given the go-ahead to leave, all that energy just drained right out of him.

The fox made his way over to his bed and crawled in, resting his head on his nice and fluffy pillow. Looking over at his phone, which he had set on his nightstand before he went to shower, the cop decided to see how his partner was doing. However, when he checked his phone…

 _Carrots: I don't think I've ever seen such a euphoric expression on your face until I said we could leave early today._

Nick smirked before typing his reply.

 _Me: Well, I did do a lot of the work today. Protecting cute, little, helpless bunnies is hard work._

…

…

 _Carrots: What'd I say about being called cute?_

…

 _Me: Hey, if I wanna break the stereotype of foxes being liars, I gotta start somewhere. You wouldn't want me becoming that stereotype, would ya, Carrots? ;)_

…

…

…

 _Carrots: I hate you. :(_

…

 _Me: We both know that's false._

…

 _Carrots: And we both know that you'd be lost without me :)_

…

 _Me: I'll be the first to admit that, I guess. Later, Fluff._

…

…

 _Carrots: Later, Sly._

 _*Read 11:43 am*_

The smirk that Nick bore when he first started texting his little fuzzy bunny had now been replaced with a full blown smile. Setting his phone aside, the fox rolled over and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep while visions of carrots danced in his head.

 **ALRIGHT!**

 **So that was a little bit of everything in there. I thought I did a pretty good job this time. Satisfied, I might say. Some mystery, some action, some humor and some romance…Yup. Not bad if I do say so myself.**

 **"HE REVEALED THE NAME OF ONE OF THE CRIMINALS! THAT'S SO ANTICLIMACTIC!" Well, it's not the boss, and compared to the other three, he's the one that doesn't play as big of a role. And besides, I gave a name. We...well, I should say you guys...don't know his past or his motives for why he wants Judy gone. Hang in there, champs ;)**

 **So! Not much to say here. As of right now, I'm finishing this chapter at 1:08 am, and writing all that stuff about sleep, beds, and soft things has made me sleepy.**

 **Don't expect another chapter from me until after the 16** **th** **of December! That's when I'm officially on winter break, and until then I'll be studying for finals so I don't flunk out of college.**

 **So Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Ramadan, Happy Kwanzaa, and happy whatever else there is that I missed. I'm sorry. I should've gone to bed three hours ago. I'm tired and my memory is foggy.**

 **So please leave a review, a favorite or a follow for a very tired guy. Please? Oh, and if you're day isn't going well, just remember that Shrek 5 is in the process of being made. You think I'm joking? Google it.**

 **More to come…**


	13. Lights and Fireworks

***Looks left***

 ***Looks right***

 **So it's the new year. Happy belated holidays, I suppose. Happy New Year as well. But considering I have to make these chapters non-time-specific…**

 **Happy Valentine's Day!**

 **Happy Easter!**

 **Happy Halloween!**

 **Happy Thanksgiving…if you celebrate that!**

 **Happy Birthday!**

 **Happy Anniversary of the Bee Movie!**

 **And, if you're viewing this in August, Happy Admit that you're Happy Month! Yes. It's a thing. Look it up.**

 **So yes, I would've had this chapter up way sooner after New Year's Eve, but then I discovered Zootopia comics. DON'T LOOK THEM UP. Most of them are way too good, including Inter Schminter (PG-13 rating, kids). 9 days of my life have been basically flushed away due to me binge watching YouTube videos of these comics. So if you want to do something productive, don't go watch those, because you finish one, and then the next one intrigues you, and so on. But yeah. THE FLUFFIEST CHAPTER YET IS COMIN' AT YA FACES!**

*Three hours later*

BZZT BZZT!

"Hmnfh…"

BZZT BZZT!

"Walna flah…"

BZZT BZZT!

"Hm…Eh?"

BZZT BZZT!

With every buzz that Nick's evil cell phone made, the fox officer was pulled further from dream land and back into reality. Cold, cruel reality.

As the ex-con peeled his face off of his pillow and blinked a few times, he slowly moved his eyes over to his phone and growled, showing his fangs. Stretching out his arm, he clutched the phone and brought it to his face, reading the words "Finnick is calling." Tapping the button that said "Answer," the fox slowly raised the object to his right ear and yawned.

"Yellow?"

"NICK!" His old friend shouted, causing the orange cop to jump and hold the phone away from his ear. "You know what I just saw? I saw some reporter on the news saying that some fool shot yo' dumb pelt with some of that Night Howler stuff a few days ago and is still on the loose!"

"Uh…" Nick sputtered, cautiously putting the object back up to his ear. "They're still covering that?"

"YOU DIDN'T LET A BRO KNOW?" Finnick bellowed once more, forcing the fox to chuck his phone into the bed to prevent hearing damage.

After a brief silence, Officer Wilde rubbed his eyes and flipped the phone over. Putting it on speaker and setting in on his nightstand, he sighed and stretched his arms above his head.

"Sorry, buddy. I've just been slammed these past few days. Between that, getting ambushed in Tundra Town, meeting with Mr. Big, finding Zootopia's black market headquarters, and—"

"Stop! Hold it right there, Nick. There's too much crazy stuff you're glossing over. I'm coming over to yo' stanky place and we're talkin' 'bout all this," The tiny fox stated.

"Actually, Finnick, I'd prefer that—"

Click.

Officer Wilde's tired expression became a deadpan stare at the wall across from his as he folded his ears against his head. Snorting in disbelief, the former con artist checked his alarm clock, which read 12:52pm. He'd only been asleep for three hours. Three hours was not enough rest and relaxation for a mammal that had just spent the past two days under constant stress, physical activity and mental gymnastics. Going back to sleep was out of the question, since his rugged friend was going to be banging on his door in about ten minutes, so the cop would have to improvise. Coffee and water. Those would have to do.

Hauling his carcass off his bed, Nick made his way over to the coffee machine, poured some water and coffee grounds in and pressed the "Start" button. While that was going on, he drowsily made his way into the bathroom once more before taking his shirt off.

"Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea…"

The fox stuck his face right in front of the shower head and grasped the water nozzle tightly, mentally preparing himself for a soaking.

"Such a bad idea…"

Yanking the nozzle upward, water sprayed out from the shower head and hit the former con mammal in the face. The fox moved his head around a little, allowing the liquid to get all over his face while trying to make sure water didn't spray out of the shower. Turning the nozzle downward, the water ceased its assault and Nick looked at himself in the mirror. If he hadn't felt like Silly Putty, he'd find his appearance comical, but considering he was barely functioning, all the fox could do was muster a grunt and dry his face off.

Exiting the bathroom, the cop put on a black ZPD T-shirt before walking over to the coffee machine and downing the cup in five seconds flat. Make more, drink, repeat—that's how this went for a little while. Nick was already five cups in before a loud pounding on his front door let him know that his friend had arrived.

Shuffling over and opening the door, Nick looked down at Finnick, who had his typical black silk shirt with red stripes on.

"So, you gonna invite me in or are we gonna stand out here and stare at each other?" The small fox huffed with a small smirk, folding his arms.

"Yeah. Sure. Come on in," Nick replied groggily, waving his old accomplice in.

* * *

*An hour later*

After Finnick had entered Nick's apartment, the cop downed one last cup of coffee before sitting in a chair across from his friend, who was on the sofa. Starting from when he and Judy got assigned to the case, Nick told Finnick about the ZPD hack, him getting shot, the sniper and arsonist in Tundra Town, the meeting with Mr. Big, and their finding and infiltration of the black market. The smaller fox took all of this into account with a couple questions here and there and the occasional head nod.

"And that's it. The Chief gave Judy and I the rest of the day off to recuperate, which is what I was doing before my phone blew up," Nick stated, eyeing his friend and smirking.

The yellow fox said nothing as he examined his best friend closely before bursting out in laughter. Clutching his stomach, Finnick cackled for a solid minute and a half before wiping the tears from his eyes and sighing.

"I don't know if you've gotten softer or harder, Nick. I gotta tell ya, if what you told me's true, then yo' one of the bravest, stupidest mammals I know. No sane mammal's gonna just waltz into a den full of thugs and do what you did. But from what you said as well, it sounds like you're getting' a little cozy with that little bunny of your's…"

The ex-con narrowed his eyes, but kept his playful grin. "First my buddy back at the station, Clawhauser, and now you? I think you're looking for something that's just not there, Finnick. Keep dreaming, though."

"Man, I couldn't care less about what you do with her! I'm just callin' it like I see it, and between you protecting her from those thugs that jumped ya in Tundra Town and then checkin' up on her back in Big's place, it sounds like you've got the hots for her," Finnick chortled. "And with her givin' you a little face massage after you got shot, it sounds like you got a chance."

The orange officer pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows, deciding to change the topic. "Alright, enough about me. What's going with you, man? I haven't seen ya in a little while. Still hustling Pawpsicles?"

"Changin' the topic, ya shifty little…" Nick's friend muttered before straightening up. "For your information, Nick, I've moved on from that. Work was too hard after ya decided to join the Five-O, so I been job hopping. Landed a spot with Gazelle's security!"

Nick's brow furrowed as he leaned forward with interest. "Really? Good for you, buddy! Ya think you can hit me up with some tickets?"

"I said security, not ticket dispenser!" Finnick barked. "But that's not all, Nicky. Apparently I kicked the stuffing out of enough people that I'm for the position of head of security. Gazelle herself said she 'likes my spunk,' whatever that load of crud means. Singers. Pfft. But yeah, I guess our lives on the streets pay off in more ways than one."

Nick leaned back and folded his arms, allowing his jaw to drop slightly and his eyes to widen.

"Yeah. Be jealous," The yellow fox stated, smirking. "Unlike you, I paid my taxes, so I've got no criminal record…officially. Pays better than yo' small job, too. Don't have to worry about getting shot, neither."

The cop leaned forward once more and opened his mouth, but was swiftly cut off by another knock at his door. Both ex-con's turned their heads towards the sound and blinked a couple times as a smaller, more feminine voice echoed through the cheap wood.

"Nick? You in there?" Judy asked. "My neighbors were making too much noise at my place for me to sleep, so I was hoping I could possibly crash here. Is that alright? Nick?"

Officer Wilde forced his lips into a thin, straight line as he glanced at the door, then to his smirking friend, and then back to the door.

"Ya know, you're right, Nick," The yellow fox stated, hopping off the couch and walking towards the door. "There's nothin' between you and Cottontail. I mean, she only want to spend more time in your place than her's."

With that, Nick's lifelong friend hopped up to the door knob, twisted the metallic sphere and opened the door. Falling back down to the floor, Finnick turned back to Nick, arched his eyebrows and widened his smirk before turning to face Judy.

"Oh! Hey, Finnick! Is Nick here?" She greeted warmly.

"He's all yours, bunny," He responded before rounding the corner and disappearing from Nick's sight. "Don't be so loud that you wake the neighbors! Ha ha ha ha ha…!"

The rabbit, filled with confusion, shifted her gaze away from the tiny fox and towards her partner, who was glaring at the door and grinding his teeth together.

"What was that all about?" She questioned, walking in and shutting the door.

"Oh, that's just Finnick for you…" Nick mumbled, resisting the urge to run after his friend and strangle him. "He was just stopping by and telling me about his new job."

"Oh! Well, that's good, I guess! As long as it's legal!" The bunny cop cheered in ignorance. "Oh! Is that coffee I smell? Can I have some? I'm tired!"

The fox eyed his rabbit buddy as she bounced over to the coffee machine and perched herself near an unused coffee mug. "Yeah…Sure. I can tell your positively exhausted."

Judy shrugged. "I am, but I've learned to power nap during long nights at the station, so I've got most of my energy back. This is just a little pick-me-up!"

Nick shook his head and stood up, walking over to the machine and beginning to prepare a cup o' Joe for the perky mammal. "You're gonna have to teach me how to do that. I'm feeling pretty low…Only got three hours of sleep before Finnick showed up."

The bunny officer lightly punched her comrade in the arm. "Well maybe you and I could crash on the couch and rest up. I was thinking that, maybe, you and I could go to the Zootopian Carnival this evening. It's in its third day, so everything should be in full swing by now. There'll be games, and rides, and shows, and a giant Ferris Wheel, and even fireworks!"

The fox was torn. Sure, that sounded extremely fun and would give him an opportunity to hang out with his other best friend, Finnick aside. However, he was dead tired and if he recalled correctly, the Zootopian Carnival started at six. Knowing Judy, she'd want to get there right when it started, which gave him about four and a half hours of rest before he'd have to drag himself out of bed yet again. Given the choice between his own wellbeing and doing what his partner wanted to do, it was clear what the correct answer was.

"Alright, but forget a cup of coffee. I'm gonna need a vat of the stuff in order to be ready for this tonight," He replied with a sleepy smile.

"Yes!" Officer Hopps exclaimed with glee, jumping up in the air and hugging Nick's arm. "Oh, this is gonna be so much fun! Have you ever been?"

"Once, when I was younger. Don't remember much, though."

"Well, I'll make it a night to remember!"

 _Don't be so loud that you wake the neighbors! Ha ha ha ha ha…!_

Finnick's exiting words rang throughout Nick's mind, causing the fox to blush under his fur and carefully shake the bunny cop off his arm.

Judy bounced over to the couch and flipped on the television while the fox continued to make her coffee. Once the TV booted up, the screen flicked to life and displayed one of Zootopia's news channels. The well-known female snow leopard was on screen, delivering an article that made Judy slightly frown.

" _And in other news, Michael Pantherson and Matthew Pumanak, business entrepreneurs and partners in Mayor Hippotsky's ongoing campaign for interspecies relationship acceptance, each gave a public address regarding the mayor's plans and their feelings about them."_

The camera then cut from the snow leopard's face to that of Matthew Pumanak's, who spoke in a calm, yet friendly manner.

" _I have heard a question frequently asked amongst these press conferences for a while now, and I don't believe a good answer has been given for that. The question? Why should we allow interspecies relationships since it goes against the laws of nature itself? While this is a well-founded statement, I must point out that the city of Zootopia itself goes against the laws of nature. Predator and prey living together in one area? Animals from around the world gathering in one city, which was designed to support their lifestyle with different climates? That itself goes against nature. We've evolved so much as a whole, so why not evolve further? Why should we allow it if it goes against the laws of nature? Because we've already broken so many laws before, and it'd be silly to start obeying them now."_

The camera then cut to Michael Pantherson, who had a more deadpan expression and spoke with less finesse than his associate.

" _I ask the citizens of this city: How would this affect you? Allowing those who are in love to express it openly will not impact you whatsoever. You will keep your jobs. You will be able to take home food for your loved ones. Daily life will continue, even with this minor shift in our society. If this truly is a city where anyone can be anything, like we proclaim it to be, then we should allow interspecies relationships to be expressed with absolutely no prejudice. One's beliefs change over time, and as such, not all opinions are constant. Your beliefs and opinions will change over time, and even if they don't, you will grow to accept things as they are."_

Nick waltzed over to the couch and set the steaming cup of coffee in Judy's lap before plopping down beside her. It was amazing the timing that they seemed to have when it came to turning on the TV these days. It seemed as if everyone was in a craze about relationships these days. Not only in Zootopia, however, but in his own life as well. With Clawhauser, Finnick, and even Mayor Hippotsky at one point, giving him grief about the relationship he has with Judy, the fox wondered who was gonna hop on the bandwagon next. If it was Bogo, Nick'd hurl himself off the nearest cliff. However doubtful it may be that their chief would support such a thing in his work force, the past week had been quite a surprising one.

"Apparently breaking the laws of nature isn't the only thing Pumanak's into, right, Carrots?" Nick said, leaning back.

"He's not fooling anyone, Nick," The bunny cop responded. "I know he's behind this. All of these attacks wouldn't have been able to be done if someone with a large amount of money and power weren't behind it all, and with a little more proof coupled with that form from the black market, we'll take him down."

The fox wrapped his arm around Judy and pulled her a little closer, patting her shoulder as he did. "We'll nab him. We're the good guys, remember? We always win."

* * *

*Five hours later, at the Zootopian Carnival, with Judy*

After arriving a half hour earlier, the two had gone one the teacup ride, before eating anything of course, and played a few games. Surprise, surprise; every time that Nick won one of the game stalls, he picked out a plush carrot for Judy. She now had three small plushies and one jumbo one slung over her back as she led Nick around the grounds.

"The fireworks happen in about a half hour, right in the middle of the carnival! Whaddya want to do until then, Slick?" The bunny exclaimed, turning to face the fox.

"Well, Fluff, I think I've had just about enough of the games for right now, and judging by all that you're carrying, I think you have as well," The ex-con pondered, playfully tapping his chin. "What to do? Bumper cars? Arcade? Roller coaster?"

"Oh! Let's go to the arcade! They have a new game I wanna try! Prance Prance Revolution!"

Nick's became slightly hesitant at the name. "That sounds slightly…feminine. Prancing?"

"Come on, you weenie! I guarantee that you'll love it!" The rabbit called as she sprinted off towards the arcade.

Officer Wilde chuckled to himself as he chased after his energized partner. "She is something else…"

* * *

*Twenty minutes later*

Judy sighed in contentment as she wiped some sweat from her brow and looked over at her partner. She smiled when she saw him hunched over with his hands on his knees, desperately taking air into his lungs. In order to prove to Nick that Prance Prance Revolution was not a "feminine" game, as he'd earlier put it, she'd chosen the hardest song on the list, and set it at the hardest difficulty. On her screen, three golden A's were pulsating and shining, proving to all that had gathered around to watch that, living up to expectations, bunnies were quick on their feet. On Nick's side, however, a dull gray E was plastered on the screen, which meant that he'd gotten the lowest grade possible and was therefore labeled as a "noob" by one mammal.

"Well, Nick? Still think this game is feminine?" Judy asked with mischief dancing in her eyes.

Nick gasped as he gulped down more air. "Alright…Ok…I eat my words…That's harder than some academy training…"

"Yup! Told ya," The bunny replied with a wink. "Ten minutes until the fireworks. Wanna go relax on the Ferris Wheel and watch them from there?"

"Yes…Please…Gimme a chair! Something!" The fox whined. "Mind you, Carrots, I'm doing all this on three hours sleep in the past two days. Despite the coffee, I wasn't in my dancing prime."

After the two had picked up Judy's stuffed carrots, they made their way to the large ride and put her prizes in a bin. This was so that she wouldn't drop them while they were up there, and because it was against the rules.

Once they hopped in, the staff member closed the metal gate on them and pressed a large red button on the console, starting the ride and lifting the two up into the air. Round and round they went, enjoying the view, each other's company, and in Nick's case, the cushioned seats. Becoming a little cold once the night air began to hit the two, Judy scooted in closer to her foxy friend and huddled against him, taking in the warmth of his fur.

 **(AN: Sorry to butt in like this, but I HIGHLY encourage you to look up "Lights" by Journey at this point. I feel it goes great with the setting and tone from now until the end of the chapter. Alright, I'mma leave now.)**

"Should've brought a jacket, Carrots," She heard Nick say in his typical suave tone.

"Why should I when I've got my walking furnace right here with me?" She replied in a cool tone, sighing as she became warmer.

"Walking furnace? Well, I guess I've gotta achieve my primary function, then…"

She tensed up ever so slightly as she felt her partner's tail wrap around her, but quickly relaxed as the softness and extra heat provided more warmth for her body.

It was then she began to think about her situation for the first time since her dinner with her partner. About her and Nick. About what they were and what they could become. She wrestled with her feelings and thoughts, bouncing around different questions in her head. What would society think? When has she ever cared about what society would think? When Nick did things like this, was it because he cared for her the same way or because they were such good friends? Was he flirting or just being himself? He'd gone past the label of friend for sure. They hung out all the time and there was no one she'd rather have by her side, so he was more along the lines of family to her, but what kind of family? Family as in someone you invite to dinners or family as in someone you start a family with? Judy was so confused, and in a different sense than when she gets puzzled by cases. Confusion due to facts and confusion due to feelings are two very different fields, and she only had experience in one. The only other time she wrestled with her feelings was when she decided to give up her badge after putting a target on predators' backs a year and a half ago. This was different. No one could help her decide what was right this time. She was on her own.

Make a move, or move on, but one thing was clear:

Judy Hopps loved Nick Wilde.

* * *

*With Nick*

Similar to the rabbit, Nick was having his own tournament inside of his brain.

 _Dumb bunny, making me feel weird inside,_ The fox thought. _What is this feeling? Like…my heart beats faster every time she grabs ahold of me. Am I having a heart attack? No, I'd be doubled over if so. My stomach feels weird. I'm a little sweaty. Why does my body rebel against me like this? WHAT IS HAPPENING?_

The cop's eyes darted down to Judy, who was still snuggled up against him and was staring out into the sky.

 _I wonder what she's thinking about right now. Knowing her, probably the case we're working on and how we're gonna prove that Pumanak is behind it all. Or maybe she's thinking about what Finnick said earlier. Oh, he's dead the next time I see him. Saying things like that and embarrassing me in front of Carrots. Wait, why would I be embarrassed over something that isn't true. I don't like her like that, right?_

The fox shook his head. He was thinking pretty quickly, and as such, his thoughts were getting slightly jumbled from all of the topic-hopping.

 _Alright. Let's think this through. Do I care about Judy? Obviously. I wouldn't be her partner and hang out with her so much if I didn't. Do I like doing things with her? Well, I just answered that in my previous question. Do I think she's cute? Yeah. All bunnies are cute, with their twitchy noses and big eyes and that little foot-thumping thing they do… Do I think she's smart? She hustled a hustler about two years ago. Would you want to hang out with anyone else? I mean, It's fun hanging out with Finnick, but I'm sure we'd maul each other if we got together all the time. I don't mind Judy, though. She's cool to be around. Wouldn't wanna spend my time with anyone else. Alright. So going by my answers, I can conclude that…_

Nick blinked a few times before widening his eyes and looking straight ahead.

 _Holy crap, I'm in love with a bunny._

* * *

*With Judy and Nick*

With one minute left before the fireworks started, luck happened to smile upon the two ZPD officers. The Ferris Wheel stopped to let some mammals off, but in doing so, this allowed Judy and Nick to be at the highest point on the ride, giving them the best view for the show.

A cold breeze swept through the carnival, brushing past the two and making them shiver slightly. Down below, different animals laughed and talked as they played games, rode rides and had fun in general. The smell of popcorn, cotton candy and other foods wafted up into the evening sky. To add on to this lovely scene, the carnival managers decided to turn on the lights, and in doing so created a brilliant display of blue, red, white, yellow and the occasional purple down below. Gazed out at all that was before them, the sun was just about set, giving a purple and pink tinge to the sky. Higher above the two, stars began to come out as night began to set, and the water beside them shone with a golden color—a gift from the sun's dying light.

 _I'm in love with Nick,_ Judy thought.

 _I'm in love with Judy,_ Nick thought.

And as the display of fireworks erupted from across the lake, exploding into the sky with thunderous booms and brilliant flashes of red, gold, green, blue, white and violet, ZPD's best officers both pondered the same question.

 _What am I gonna do now?_

 **ALRIGHT! So this chapter specifically took a long time to write, not only because it was a long chapter in general, but because I've been trying to decide where to put Finnick in the story since the beginning. I decided to put him as part of Gazelle's security detail for reasons that will become clear as the story goes on, but yeah. Please let me know your thoughts on how I portrayed his character! It's hard adding on to a character that literally had seven sentences in the whole movie, but I tried.**

 **And yes! I've finally gotten the carnival scene in! I also knew that I was gonna put this part in the story at some point, and since I set it up in the previous chapter that both of them would have the day off, I thought it would fit nicely right here. And now both have realized that they like each other, but neither of them has made a move yet! What will happen? Oh, I'm psyched. I'M PSYCHED! Lemme know your thoughts on the carnival part as well! I put a lot of thought into that part.**

 **Please leave a review! I get all giddy inside when I see that someone's reviewed. And if you haven't favorited or followed the story yet, why not? A wise man once said, "Just do it." It'll let ya know when I update so you don't have to shift through the pages and pages of fanfics!**

 **Oh, and a quick side note: If you didn't have "Lights" by Journey playing at that point I recommended, I still urge you to go back and read that while that's playing. It adds something, in my opinion. Just goes so great…**

 **But yeah! I'm out! More to come! Peace! (⌐■_■)**


	14. AN: HELLO, FOOLS

— **ello? Hello? Oh. Oh! It's working! Guys, I don't have much time. Listen. While I've been dealing with all this work at college, someone has taken over my profile! He says he's my evil clone… Is that even possible? Anyway, I don't know how much time I have! I'll do my best to take back my account from here so I can update again. It might take two weeks. I haven't abandoned you all! I promise we wi11 wIn. TR2U$T M %^E$ S]!5T &^zM%+=**

 **HEH HEH HEH… HELLO, FOOLISH READERS. JFREAKS2016, HERE. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU IMBESSILES…ERM…WONDERFUL PEOPLE KNOW THAT I WILL BE TAKING A BREAK FROM THIS SITE. POSSIBLY PERMANENT. HEH HEH HEH. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE REMEMBER THAT I DON'T CARE. DON'T LEAVE A REVIEW! DON'T FAVORITE OR FOLLOW! LATER, NERDS! HA HA HA HA HA!**


	15. The Arsonist

**Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to IMACHODE News. I'm your host jweaks2016. We've got some breaking news today as reports are coming in that the universe is falling apart at the seams. We go live to jfreaks2016, my tamed evil clone, who is standing outside for some reason.**

 **THAT'S RIGHT, JWEAKS. WE'RE GETTING WORD THAT YOU'VE POSTED A NEW CHAPTER AFTER GOING MISSING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. FOLLOWING MY FAILURE AT SEIZING HIS PROFILE (I HATE YOU SO MUCH), YOU OVERCAME YOUR WRITTERS BLOCK AND BROUGHT SOME NEW CONTENT TO YOUR THOUGHT-TO-BE-ABANDONED STORY. BACK TO YOU, JWEAKS.**

 **Thanks, jfreaks. Ya know, I really think you've calmed down a bit since last time with the insults and everything. Still don't know where you came from, but I think this is the start of a great partnership.**

 **OH, DON'T SUCK UP TO ME YOU TWIG-LIKE PANSY. I'D RATHER PLAY BOBBING FOR APPLES WITH PIRANHAS THAN LISTEN TO YOU ALL DAY. I HOPE FANFICTION DELETES YOUR ENTIRE ACCOUNT.**

 **Let's, uh…Let's just get on with the chapter, hm? Yeah. That sounds good.**

 **This chapter is a bit of an emotional one. Just a heads up.**

*With Judy, the next day, at the ZPD*

The rest of the evening had gone pretty smoothly all things considered. After she and Nick had finished their ride on the Ferris Wheel, they decided to head back to their respective apartments to rest up for the next day. Even though Nick used his car to drive the two to the carnival, the caffeine he had drank earlier had worn off, leaving Judy with the task of driving a sleeping fox back and then catching a bus home. Lugging those plushies down the bus aisle was immensely fun.

The next morning, she walked into the ZPD headquarters and hopped up onto the desk of the department's most loveable secretary, hoping to pass some time as she waited for her partner.

"Well you look like you're in a good mood today, Ben!" The fuzzy officer exclaimed, seeing the elated look on the cheetah's face.

"O to the M to the G, Judy!" Clawhauser squealed, spinning around in his chair. "I looked up the seats I got for the Gazelle concert in five days. Guess what! I'm the third row from the stage!"

The plump officer was bouncing up and down on his chair so much that the bunny could practically hear it wailing in agony.

"I heard there's gonna be fireworks at the end of her performance! Wonder how they'll do that considering it's all indoors," He added, his eyes sparkling with joy. "But-but-but-but never mind me! I saw you and Nick at the carnival last night."

"Yeah, we had a lot of fun." The rabbit hummed, nodding. "Where were you? I didn't see you anywhere."

"I was off to the side at the deep fried doughnuts stand. You two looked so cute together! Was it a date? Please tell me it was a date!"

Judy stomached her nerves and forced a playful eye roll. "We're just friends and coworkers, Ben. Nothing more. I thought it might be a good idea to take our minds off the case, with all that's happened to us. But now we're back and ready to tackle this thing! Somebody's got a vendetta against us and Nick and I are gonna find out who!"

"If there are any mammals in this city that can bring these guys in, it's you and Nick," The secretary stated, giving a sweet smile. "We all believe in ya, hon."

"HOPPS!" A voice boomed from above.

The rabbit and cheetah looked up to see Bogo leaning over the ledge of the balcony. A stern expression and a swift motion towards his office door caused Judy's ears to droop back behind her head. Waving goodbye to Clawhauser, the fuzzy officer made her way up the stairs and into Bogo's office, to which he closed the door and took his place behind his desk.

"You…wanted to see me, Chief?" Officer Hopps asked with hesitation.

"First off, welcome back, Hopps. I trust you took my advice and got some rest?" Her boss asked with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Y-Yes, sir. I did. Thanks for asking."

"Good to hear. Secondly…" Bogo replied, reaching into a drawer of his desk and pulling out a blue file. "The lab reports came back on the flamethrower you and Wilde confiscated. The parts were manufactured by an unknown source, so we can't get any details from the tool itself. We did, however, pull some paw prints and fur samples from the handle."

Judy's boss pushed the file across the desk and opened up the cover, revealing a picture of a wolf that was paperclipped to an information sheet.

"Damien Wolfang. Thirty years of age. Species: Gray Wolf. Formerly worked in a coal plant before being fired for accidentally causing a minor fire. He was then picked up by Lionheart to work as a security guard for the containment of the different savage predators."

The bunny looked up at Bogo with a quizzical look. "How…?

"I called the former mayor to cross check this."

Officer Hopps said nothing and looked down at the picture of the criminal once more.

"However, he wasn't among the massive number of guards we arrested that night. Somehow, he managed to slip away." The Chief finished. "This whole file is all we've managed to dig up on him. He wasn't in our systems, so it was difficult."

"Do we know where to find him? Bring him in?" Judy questioned, to which the buffalo pointed towards the bottom of the page.

"5824 Beavercreek Drive, located in the urban areas of the Woodland District. That's his twin sister's address. Talk to her and try to find where he might be. I'll be sending a few officers with you to arrest him in case he's there. I've got some choice words to give him about destroying my car."

"Why haven't we gone to arrest him yet?"

Bogo leaned forward and huffed. "First, this report just got faxed to me ten minutes ago. Secondly, I assigned you and Wilde to this case, so you're going to be the ones who bring him in. Now, get your partner and let's hop to it."

"Was that a pun, sir?" Judy asked, cocking her head to the side.

"GO!"

* * *

*With Judy and Nick, at the Wolfang homestead, thirty-two minutes later*

"So you think this guy's the one who destroyed Bogo's car and started this ordeal?" The fox asked as he and his partner approached the quaint little home in the Woodland District.

This particular district housed a lot of Zootopia's prey population. The towering trees made excellent home for squirrels while groundhogs, gophers, chipmunks, and the occasional rabbit lived on the ground level. There were plenty of shaded areas to keep cool in this district since the sun was almost always present. A few fields here and there allowed places for children to play as well as crops to grow, and the creeks and rivers brought fresh water for the occupants to use as they please.

However, this domain did not solely contain prey. Wolfs, foxes and bears were present in this area as well. Like the rest of Zootopia, they got along fine with the smaller animals around them, and feasted on berries, fish and meat substitutes for nutrition instead of their furry friends.

The Wolfang house was a fairly small place and was painted a light shade of pink. It appeared to be only two stories high and had a nicely kept lawn. Some rose bushes were planted along the left side of the house and a rickety, wooden rocking chair was placed out on the front porch. It didn't really look like the house of a thirty-year-old woman. It fit the profile of someone who was seventy.

Officers Clarice and Fangmeyer, along with a couple of cops Judy hadn't worked with before, were parked off to the side, well off the dirt path that led to the house. The reason for this was that if Damien wasn't currently home, but arrived when the Nick and Judy were inside, he wouldn't notice the two cop cars and flee. If he was home, by chance, the plan was that Judy would radio to them and they'd cover the exits.

"Well," Judy huffed. "His pawprints were on the flamethrower, and he has had past issues with fire, so I'd say it's a good chance."

Once they walked up the stairs and onto the porch, Nick knocked on the front door. Hearing the creaking of wooden floorboards inside, the two exchanged glances as they unfastened their dart guns. After a few moments, a metal clunk was heard and the door slowly opened, revealing a small bear in a white doctor's coat.

"May I help you?" The mammal asked, looking at the two cops.

"ZPD officers Hopps and Wilde. We're here to see Ms. Wolfang. Is she home?" Judy asked politely, slowly fastening her holster.

The bear opened the door wider and motioned them inside. "She is. I'll go wake her up. Please shut the door on your way in."

The officers made their way inside and shut the door. The interior of the home was decorated nicely. A vase of potpourri was placed on a wooden table next to the entrance of the home and paintings of different districts were hung about the house. While Nick stood by the door and continued to take in his surroundings, Judy walked over to a painting of what was clearly Bunnyburrow and admired the work. It was just a simple painting of the sun shining down on a field of wheat with a small, red barn in the background, but it looked very realistic. In the corner was a name, scribbled in black ink.

"Lila Wolfang," The rabbit murmured.

Looking around a bit more, Officer Hopps spotted a picture sitting on a white, round table. In the picture were two young wolf children, smiling with their arms wrapped around each other.

"Ah," The bear whispered, slightly startling Judy with his sudden presence. "That's Miss Lila's brother when they were children."

"So that's… Is her brother home right now?" The bunny cop questioned.

The bear shook his head. "Miss Lila's awake, however. Come."

Nick walked up next to his partner and gave her a little nudge with his elbow. His love interest looked up at him with uncertainty, to which he gave his signature smirk to show that everything was going to be fine.

The two made their way forward into the house's living room and were surprised at what they found. In the room was a fireplace, which has multiple knick-knacks and pictures on its mantle. Two fuzzy, comfy chairs were placed in front of a roaring fire and a large picture of two older looking wolves was mounted on the right side of the room. Nick and Judy assumed that picture was of the Wolfang twins' parents. On the right side of the room was a slightly open window with a potted plant to the left of it. However, it was none of this that surprised the two ZPD cops. What startled them was the sickly female wolf, laying in a hospital bed in the center of the room. Patches of her fur were missing all over her face and arms and her breathing was extremely labored. Bags were under her eyes and her fangs were tinged with yellow from not brushing her teeth. To her left was a heart monitor and to her right was an IV stand. The two friends looked at each other with pity and sadness as they made their way over to where the doctor was.

"Miss Lila," The bear said in a soothing voice. "You have visitors."

The wolf slowly turned her head towards Officers Wilde and Judy, looking over them slowly before forcing a smile.

"Todd, you should have let me get cleaned up a little," She playfully scolded.

The bear, whose name was apparently Todd, bowed in apology and smiled right back. "I didn't think we'd be getting any visitors today."

"No…" Lila sighed, her smile faltering a little. "We usually don't. So, Officers…"

"Wilde," Nick said, promptly introducing himself much to his partner's surprise. "And this is Officers Hopps."

"Nice to meet you," The wolf greeted. "I'm Lila Wolfang. What can I do for you?"

"Well," Judy began, stepping forward. "First off, I'd like to say that you have some beautiful paintings here. They look fantastic."

Lila's smile widened. "Thank you. I painted those myself. Went to every single district in Zootopia before…Well, I became a homebody. Let me guess…Bunnyburrow?"

The rabbit faintly giggled. "Is it that obvious?"

"In a good way," Ms. Wolfang replied. "I assume you aren't here just because you heard about my painting expertise, though."

The bunny cop's ears drooped a little as Nick pulled up a chair and sat down. Motioning for his partner to do the same, the fox dove deep into his old conning days to try to figure out the best way he could ask their questions without seeming rude or demanding.

"We're actually looking to gather some information on your brother, Miss Wolfang," He began.

"Damien," Lila sighed, shifting her head and looking up at the ceiling. "What would you like to know about my brother?"

"What's your relationship with him like?" The fox asked. "Are you two close?"

Lila chuckled a little before clearing her throat. "He's never caused me a bit of trouble, I can tell you that. He's always looked out for me ever since we were little. Bullies…ex-boyfriends… He stood up to all of them and protected me. Even when our parents were no longer around to support us, he took up jobs to help pay for food. Now he uses the money to help care for me."

The two officers looked over to Todd, who gave a disappointed shrug. "I've talked to my superiors about lowering the cost of care, and they have, but it's still expensive."

"He said his last job as a security guard didn't work out to well," Lila continued, almost reminiscing now. "But he told me a few weeks ago that he found another job that will pay for food, bills and more."

The ex-con nodded, smiling when she looked over at him to see if he was listening. "Did he say what that job was?"

The wolf shook her head slightly. "Nope. Probably some government work if I had to guess."

The fox looked over at Judy, who had her recording pen out. He wanted to make sure that they were getting all of this in case Bogo, or even the mayor, wanted to hear the conversation.

"So…where can we find him?" Officer Wilde questioned.

"Well," Lila thought, closing her eyes and inhaling. "He went to get groceries about an hour ago, so he should be home soon. He's…He's not in trouble, is he?"

The fox turned to look at his partner who was looking right back at him. Her deep amethyst eyes were beautiful, but they were filled with conflict on the inside. Nick's guess? Judy was torn between telling the wolf the truth, being that he was wanted by the ZPD, and saying that he wasn't. Personally, Nick was at the same crossroads. If they told the truth, they might upset Lila, but they'd have a clear conscious. If they lied, it'd tear the two cops up on the inside, but the wolf's feelings would be spared.

Nick took a deep breath, having figured out a third option. "We just want to talk to him. Gather more information."

It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie. They did need to talk to him, that was true, but they also needed to bring him in. Overall, the orange cop felt good about himself, having not flat out deceived the sick woman, and by the look on her face, he could tell she was relieved to know that her brother wasn't in a tight spot.

" _Judy? Nick?"_ Clarice crackled on both of their walkie-talkies.

The two excused themselves before heading back towards the front door. Perched at the entrance, they turned the volume down on their devices so neither the doctor nor Lila could hear.

"Yes?" Judy responded.

" _A mammal matching Wolfang's description just drove up to the house. He hasn't noticed us or our cars."_

"Don't approach him. We'll swing around the side and cut him off," The bunny replied, drawing her dart gun. "You ready to catch this guy, Nick?"

Moving out of the house and around the back, the former criminal drew his weapon as well, showing a confident smirk. "He singed my fur back in tundra town, Carrots. Nobody comes between a Wilde and their good looks."

"Looks like somebody already did that before I met you."

"I'm wounded, Fluff."

Slowly moving out from behind the rose bushes, Judy and Nick crept out into the open, now with Wolfang in their sights. Currently, he had his head in the trunk of the car and was rustling around in the grocery bags. While Nick motioned for Clarice, Fangmeyer and the other two officers to come out from hiding and approach him form the back, Judy slowly straightened up and took a deep breath.

"Damien Wolfang!" She called, causing the criminal to suddenly stop what he was doing, but not look in the bunny's direction. "ZPD! Let me see those paws!"

Behind him, Clarice and the other officers had their dart guns ready and pointed at his back.

"Don't try anything, bud," Nick warned.

Damien continued to not move for a few more moments; his ears twitched as he picked up the movement of the officers behind him. Quickly leaping to his left, he dodged the knockout darts from the four cops, which plinked against the metal bumper of the car. Tumbling to the ground and taking a can of hairspray that he had gotten from the grocery bag, he struck a lighter in front of the can and sprayed a plume of fire towards Nick and Judy, blinding their line of sight for a few moments. Tossing the tools on the ground, he sprinted off into the woods, sliding under logs, dodging trees and jumping over rocks.

Regaining her vision, Judy turned in the direction of Wolfang and took off. Starting out at a brisk pace, she eventually gained enough momentum to where she was now running her fastest. Her hind legs were going a mile a minute, allowing her to close the gap between the two. Her rabbit instincts were in full gear now. Judy's eyes were trained on Wolfang while picking up hazards in their surroundings, and her ears picked up every movement the wolf made. As she neared her target, she readied her dart gun once more.

"Damien!" She yelled, causing the wolf to briefly turn around.

That was all Officer Hopps was hoping for. That brief distraction was enough to throw off his running game, causing him to smack into a tree and crumple to the ground. Putting on the brakes, Officer Hopps slid to a stop next to the wolf and fired a dart into his butt. With every muscle now relaxed, Damien slumped over and began to drool on the ground.

"Damien Wolfang, you're under arrest for arson, assault and resisting arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," Judy huffed, slapping some paw cuffs on her perp. "You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just spoken to you?"

A grunt was all she got in reply. The tranquilizers were pretty powerful, after all. Since it wasn't exactly a confirmation nor a denial, Judy decided to wait a little until the effects of the dart wore off. Once a few moments had passed, and a tired Nick Wilde, joined by the other officers, arrived where she was, Judy asked the question again.

"Sure," Damien grunted.

Nick clasped one paw on the wolf's shoulder and the other on the cuffs, before hauling him off the ground and forcing him into a standing position.

"With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?" The bunny cop finished.

"Yeah," He huffed before being taken back to the squad car by Clarice. "Don't tell my sister."

 **And there it is, my friends! Hope you found this chapter to be satisfactory! You now know who the arsonist is as well as most of the motive. Most. But who hired him? Why? Find out in the next chapter.**

 **Please leave a review with your thoughts. I want to know if you guys thought I delivered Damien's motive nicely. I wanted his motive to have some emotional weight to it regarding his family. I just want to know if I did it well. It's appreciated! Helps me better the story.**

 **Oh! And please let me know your thoughts on the Woodland District. As I recall, the creators of Zootopia said there were 12 districts in total, so i decided to take a chance and create a district myself.**

 **Also, we've reached 28K views! That's crazy! Thank you so much!**

 **MEH. NOTHING SPECIAL**

 **Ignore him. Anyway, new chapter will now be in the works. More to come…**


	16. Cooperation? What's That?

***Pant* Is it over? Have we won?**

 ***HUFF* YES, SIMPLETON. I BELIEVE WE HAVE.**

 **That took way longer than I expected.**

 **THE SUMMER CLASS, FINISHING YOUR SUMMER JOB OR DEALING WITH THESE FOOLS?**

 **All of the above. Don't wanna do that again. *Gasp***

 **AGREED. CRIDICKS UNITED ARE PERSISTENT PESTS. EVEN I WOULDN'T BE AS VILE AS THAT BUNCH.**

 **You wanted to steal my profile and take over my stories.**

 **YES, BUT NOT SHUT THEM DOWN COMPLETELY.**

 **Pot and kettle, Freaks. How long has it been?**

 **MONTHS.**

 **Hopefully there are people still reading this thing. Phew. Let's give 'em something, hm?**

*Back in the ZPD Precinct, a half hour later*

Nick and Judy walked up to Clawhauser's desk with a pep in their step, happy that they caught the criminal who torched Chief Bogo's car. After bringing the crook back and booking him, they placed him in an interrogation room in an area below the building as they filed their paperwork.

"I just can't get over how fast you were running!" Nick exclaimed, handing some files to the cheetah with a curt nod before walking towards the basement doors with his partner.

"See? We can both hustle," The bunny giggled.

Officer Wilde smirked. "Leave the jokes to me, Carrots. The witty one-liners are more my style."

"I'd say more cheesy than witty."

"Don't make me file for a transfer."

Judy smiled and elbowed her partner. "I don't know anyone else who'd accept you."

The two pushed open the door and made their way down the steps into the somewhat cold, damp and dark basement of the ZPD. Dim LED bulbs hung from the ceiling and gray brick lined the walls. Smooth, cold concrete paved the path to the eight interrogation rooms that harbored beneath the police facility. Two were occupied by a couple of felons already, and at the end of the hall, on the right, was Wolfang. The officers looked through the one-way window at the arsonist, who was cuffed to and sitting in a steel chair. One lightbulb hung above him.

"Doesn't look like he wants to talk," Judy whispered to her foxy friend, seeing as the wolf's eyes were fixated dead ahead and he was sitting upright.

"How can you tell?"

"His body language," The bunny murmured before pushing open the door to the room and walking in, Nick in tow.

The metal door slowly closed behind them—a slight click echoing in the room as it shut. Damien sniffed as he looked at the two officers, and aside from the breath of the three in the room, no sound was made. His eyes shifted from Nick, to Judy and then back to the ex-con.

"I'll plead guilty to torching your chief's car and trying to barbeque you both," Wolfang finally said in a stern tone.

The fox clapped his hands together. "Well, ya made this a lot easier for us! With this cooperation we'll be done in five minutes."

The wolf furrowed his brow. "I don't follow."

"We know you have a partner in this, Damien," Judy started, walking towards him. "We matched your pawprints and fur composition to what was found on the flamethrower. There was someone else with you. We need to know who they are."

The arsonist snorted. "I'm not saying anything—especially not to you."

The rabbit cop stopped and crossed her arms. "Why do you have an issue with me? This is the second time you said something along those lines."

The criminal tried to lean forward, but was stopped by his handcuffs. "Back when Lionheart was capturing those predators, I was working for him as a guard. They dropped me because I was accident prone; more often than not these accidents dealt with fire."

"Yeah, we know that," Nick cut in.

Damien glanced over at him. "I assumed so. What I was going to say is that I was about to get my job back when Flatfoot called the vultures on the place. Lionheart, the doctors, my coworkers—all arrested. The last place that would take a klutz like me got shut down."

Judy could tell that the crook was getting worked up.

"You saw my sister, right?" Wolfang questioned, looking at Officer Hopps, to which she nodded. "We no longer had any income to pay for doctors. And it's all because some hillbilly from the Burrows wanted to make a name for herself."

Damien was sniffing more often now. Whether it was from the cold in the room, the dust or the fact that he may be fighting back tears, the cops didn't know.

Nick's posture became rigid with anger and frustration that this low life had just called one of the sweetest animals he knew a "hillbilly." Judy, on the other hand, remained in place with her jaw slightly agape. If what he was saying was true, then she directly caused the predicament Wolfang was in now.

"With no other job opportunities in this city and with no money to help my sister—my only family I have left—I thought all hope was lost. That's before I got approached with a job offer. They heard about my past incidents with fire, as well as my anger towards you, and offered me a chance to get revenge. The pay was good, too. All I had to do was do what they said and my sister's medical bills would be paid for," Damien choked. "Not everything is as black and white as you might think, Officer Hopps. If there was another way to help my sister, I'd take it."

"There's always another way," Judy replied, a little quieter than she would've liked.

"The only other option was begging on the streets! With no money, I can't go back to school and get a degree for a new job. I can't move to another city and find work there. Crime is the only option left for some of us," The arsonist shot.

The orange fox looked off to the side before moving to his love's side. "If you tell us who you're working with, we'll be sure that your sister gets the care she needs."

Damien stiffened. "I can't."

"You can," Nick insisted. "You're safe here. We'll put patrols outside of your sister's house to make sure she's safe."

"It won't matter!" The crook barked. "If I give you any piece of information, they will stop paying for my sister's treatment. The next time I'd see her, she'd…"

The room grew quiet once more as the wolf glared at the two of the officers, trying to maintain his composure. It was clear to the two of them that he was no hardened criminal. They had managed to grab some new information from him, although nothing groundbreaking, in a matter of minutes. He was practically on the verge of tears and his eyes were filled with pleading. Despite what his body language said, they knew they weren't going to get anything out of him. Maybe his boss had already pulled the plug on paying for his sisters' bills, but it was clear he didn't want to risk it.

"While my feelings about Officer Hopps haven't changed, I'd help you if I could," Wolfang whispered. "I just can't lose the only family I have left. You got this far on your own. You'll find a way."

* * *

*With Chief Bogo*

The water buffalo, who had watched the whole thing from behind the window, lowered his head and snorted in contempt. He hated when he sympathized with criminals that were brought in. It was rare when he did, but he hated in nonetheless. Granted, he didn't forgive Wolfang for burning his car and attacking his officers, but he could understand why he did what he did. The wolf had been forced into a corner and had taken the only option that was given to him in order to save his sister.

Bogo walked away from the interrogation window and up the stairs. He figured it was about time to inform the mayor as to the progress they made. She liked to be kept in the loop, after all.

"If anyone asks where I am, Clawhauser, tell them I'm at City Hall and that I don't want to be disturbed," The Chief ordered before walking into the parking lot.

Approaching the rental car he'd acquired until he could find a new vehicle, the buffalo fumbled with his keys. Of all the things they could've given him, they gave him a Smart Car. Energy efficient, is what they said. While he was all for saving the environment, was it the best idea to give someone of his stature such a small automobile? He thought not. Opening the door and squeezing into the tight driver's seat, Bogo started his car and drove off.

* * *

*With Belynxsky, twenty minutes later*

With the capture and arrest of Damien Wolfang (the idiot), the head honcho who was running their small team had ramped up the speed of their plans. The boss had swiftly cut off all funds going towards Lila Wolfang's medical bills and gave them a new set of directions while he checked in with the chemists that were working on the Night Howlers. What were the directions? Simple. Capture a police officer.

After they had filed their paperwork, Officers Clarice and Fangmeyer had entered their police cruiser and continued to run the beat. It took some time before they had pulled off to the side for some idle chit-chat, to which Belynxsky called his associate and set up the trap. Everything was in place. All that was left was for one of them to be left alone.

The sniper watched nonchalantly as Clarice said something to her partner from inside the car before exiting the vehicle and walking into a nearby coffee shop. In response, the lynx rustled his hair a little before sprinting across the street and to the patrol car, tapping on the window and drawing Fangmeyer's attention.

"Help! Officer! Please!" He stated frantically, causing the tiger to exit the car. "I've been mugged!"

"It's alright. Take it easy," The cop assured, placing a hand on the crook's shoulder. "Where did they go?"

Belynxsky feigned a sense of calmness and pointed to a nearby alleyway. "They went down that alley! Please! M-My photos of my kids are in there! My credit cards!"

"Two-eleven: Robbery on Berenstein Street. Officer Fangmeye in pursuit," The tiger said into the radio and ran towards the alley.

Belynxsky smirked and ran right behind the officer, following him into the alley and rounding the corner with the officer. Once Fangmeyer saw a parked, green van with tinted windows, he drew his dart gun and began creeping up on the driver's side.

"ZPD! EXIT THE CAR WITH YOUR PAWS IN THE AIR! SLOWLY!" The cop ordered.

The sniper reached behind his back and removed a dart gun from his belt, pointing it at the cop and shooting him in the back. The officer groaned and dropped to the ground, causing his weapon to clatter off to the side.

"Quickly!" The criminal barked.

The back doors of the van opened up, and out jumped the techy crook of the team. The two of them lifted the tiger into the van and shut the doors. Belynxsky watched his comrade move to the driver's seat and pull his seatbelt across his flannel shirt and start up the car. He peeled out of the alley and sped off into the streets. As they escaped, the lynx looked out the back window to see Clarice trying to run after them, but failing due to her size and lack of stamina.

The sniper looked down at Fangmeyer, who was glaring at him while still being unable to move. The criminal delivered a stunning punch to his face, causing him to fall unconscious. Belynxsky went to work, removing anything traceable from the ZPD officer and tossing it out the passenger's window. Weapon holster and belt? Gone. Radio? Bye-bye. Cell phone? Sayonara. Even personables such as a wallet were expelled from the vehicle.

"I still don't see how this helps me get revenge on Nick Wilde," The technical criminal called from the driver's seat.

"Shut up and drive," The lynx growled.

* * *

*With Bogo*

The chief of police stepped out of the elevator and onto the top floor of City Hall, making his way towards the mayor's office. The golden yellow glow from the afternoon sun shone through the window that lined the office space, giving the buffalo a sense of peace. He approached the desk of Elmer, the mayor's secretary, and stated his name and business. The horse grinned lazily and waved him in.

Bogo nodded with an appreciative smirk as he opened the glass doors of Mayor Hippotsky's office and stepped inside. With the arrest of the arsonist, the chief felt a little more at peace. Granted, they still had to find the sharpshooter that had attacked Officers Wilde and Hopps, the origin of the voice that had sent him the tape that one fateful night (considering Wolfang denied making that tape), the hacker whole stole the salaries of his officers and what Matthew Pumanak had to do with Night Howlers, but he was happy they were finally making progress.

"Chief Bogo!" Hippotsky greeted from behind her desk. "What a nice surprise!"

Just as the hippo said this, Bogo's phone buzzed. He pulled it out and checked the home screen, which bore a message from Clawhauser.

" _Officer Fangmeyer was just kidnapped. Clarice radioed it in. She said she saw some lynx taking off with him. The press are bound to find out about this soon. What should we do, Chief? :("_

The feeling in the water buffalo's hands and legs left as he stood in place, staring at the horrific news that was sent to him.

"Chief Bogo?" Hippotsky called. "Are you still with us?"

The cop looked up from his phone to see Hippotsky looking at him with concern. His throat dried up and the slight good mood he was in packed up its things and left for a long vacation.

"I heard you weren't much of a talker, Chief Bogo, but I didn't think you'd be _this_ quiet," A voice from the opposite end of the room joked.

Bogo turned around slowly and looked behind him at Matthew Pumanak and Michael Pantherson, who were sitting in black, polyester chairs. Both of them were decked out in their usual suits. Matthew had a cocky smirk and Michael was doing his best Easter Island Head impersonation. They looked exactly like they did on TV.

"We were just talking about the interspecies relationship conflict, but please have a seat, Chief," Matthew smiled. "I assume you have some very important news for us."

 **I LIKE THE STONE FACED ONE. HE RADIATES AUTHORITY AND POWER.**

 **I thought you'd like the one that's a prime suspect for orchestrating a plan to take out the main characters.**

 **NAH HE'S TOO MUCH LIKE YOU.**

 **Eh that's…slightly true. Anyway, sorry for the extremely late chapter. This was long overdue, but between my summer class (oh no plz don't make me do that again), my summer job and battling the evil Cri-ticks Untied (Get it? Cuz they're parasites XD), I've been busy.**

 **So yeah. As some may know I was visited by some rando who left me a parking ticket-style review on my story. Apparently Author's Notes by themselves are frowned upon, but I didn't know this since no one's complained about it in the** **FIVE YEARS** **I've been on here. And since I don't waste my life reading every term and condition on FF's site, I'm just gonna assume that I can't straight up call them out by name for being shameless keyboard warriors (that's why I've made altered their name each time I've mentioned them). Rules are there for a reason and that's fine, but as for enforcing them, they're going about it all wrong in my opinion. Threatening to report the story and/or the author until they are removed from the site unless said author complies is just…scummy.**

 **Sorry to bore ya with all this, but it was bothering me for a little while and I just wanted to get it off my chest.**

 **And don't worry about me. If ya think that my poking at them will cause the neckbeards to attack me, then you've got it all wrong, my friend. I've dealt with most of them accordingly :)**

 **Sorry for the shorter chapter, as well. I just wanted to get this out there so you guys know I'm not dead. Couldn't leave an Author's Note because I don't wanna have back-to-back ones. That would be...um...no good.**

 **I'm not gonna say when the next update will be released because I'm a horrible person who can't follow a schedule!**

 **More to come…**


	17. Subtle Jabs

**Greetings from the cesspool of confusion and sluggishness that is my daily life! I have vanished for many millennia, but I have emerged with a new chapter for you all.**

 **Before we start, I wanna briefly talk about one of the biggest disappointments on this planet, and no it isn't me. You may have noticed that my previous author's note was removed about Net Neutrality being killed (or to those seeing this story for the first time, you have no idea what I specifically said but I'm too lazy to explain it in here so deal with it). That's because I'm gonna continue this story regardless of the chaotic free-for-all that is the U.S. government. I've spent too much time brainstorming new ideas to let one boi and one idea discourage me!**

 **So, this story, unlike Club Penguin or my sense of joy in life, lives on! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay**

 **Read chapter now**

Matthew Pumanak raised an eyebrow and flashed a toothy grin at Bogo, who hadn't moved from his spot. The chief turned and looked at the mayor with a mixture of concern and frustration. Not with her, to be clear, but with the situation at hand. Not only had he just found out that one of his officers was kidnapped, but he had come here to discuss the progress they had made, as well as the fact that Matthew Pumanak seemed to be involved with the illegal Night Howler imports.

Obviously he couldn't discuss such confidential information now since said suspect was sitting in the same room as him, so he would have to divert the conversation in a different direction.

He didn't trust Michael Pantherson enough to talk about any other details of the case, such as the arrest of the arsonist. Bogo only felt comfortable sharing such information with the mayor alone. Pantherson, despite being serious and reserved, didn't set easy with the chief. From what he knew, Pantherson was a ruthless business man with a reputation for having information and leverage over others in case someone tried to backstab him. Why he decided to take a stand with the mayor on the interspecies issue was beyond him, but it wasn't private knowledge that criticism on the topic had gone down since the two tycoons joined in. Maybe that was why…

Regardless, there was no way he was talking about the case. He had to think of something soon, however. The silence was starting to get unbearable.

Just then, Michael Pantherson's phone buzzed, as did Matthew's and Hippotsky's.

"A public alert is in effect. Officer Gerald Fangmeyer has been abducted in an unmarked green van with tinted windows. If anyone should see this vehicle or the officer, please contact authorities immediately," Michael read aloud in his usual disinterested tone before looking towards the chief. "Is this why you stopped by?"

"I'm…terribly sorry to hear this," Hippotsky sighed, standing up from her desk and making her way over to the cop. "And I thought we were making progress. Do you think it's the same ones who set fire to your car?"

Bogo looked off to the side at nothing in particular. "Actually, Mayor Hippotsky, I'd like to discuss some of the details of the case with you…in private."

From behind him, the chief heard a huff of surprise.

"You don't trust us?" Matthew asked, sounding hurt. "We wouldn't tell a soul! Police business, after all."

"I personally don't care about your car, but kidnapped cops hurt the city's image. Bad city image means bad business. We'll help in any way we can," Michael added. "I've got some connections in the city I could reach out to. See if they've spotted anything suspicious."

"I do appreciate the offer," Bogo replied with a little more spite than he would've liked. "However this is a bit more complicated than it seems, so we need to keep it close to the chest. Police business, as Mr. Pumanak said."

"Blunt like a baseball bat, Michael," The puma scoffed before looking back towards the officer. "We understand, Chief. We'll be out of your hair."

With that, he and the panther stood up from their chairs and shook the mayor's hand. Matthew slid his business card into Bogo's hand and winked.

"If you change your mind about wanting help," He whispered.

With that said, the two left the room. The water buffalo eyed the two as they made their way down the hall and called the elevator to the floor. Michael passed thirty dollars to Manchas while Matthew flashed another smiled and waved before the brass doors closed in front of them.

"I know that face," Hippotsky sighed, walking back to her desk and sitting down.

"What face?"

"The face you make whenever your distrustful of someone."

"And what does that look like?"

Hippotsky smiled sweetly. "Like you need to use the bathroom. Why don't you tell me what you came over here to say, Bogo?"

The buffalo nodded solemnly and sat down in the chair across from the hippo. He folded his arms across his chest and sunk back a little, sorting his thought out before opening his mouth.

"We captured the arsonist earlier today," He began. "Damien Wolfang—a former night guard when Lionheart had caged all of those savage predators."

Hippotsky's eyes lit up with happiness. "Wonderful news! Do we know why he did it?"

Bogo nodded. "He was angry at Officer Hopps and the rest of the ZPD for shutting down the only job that would accept him due to his clumsy nature and history with fire. He…said he was hired to do some tasks, and, in the process, would get his revenge on Officer Hopps."

The mayor's expression suddenly darkened. "Hired by who?"

"We don't know yet, though we think this is connected with Nick's savage episode, the hack on our department, the incident in Tundra Town or Fangmeyer's kidnapping. The DNA on the flamethrower that was confiscated matched up with Wolfang's, but according to Officer Wilde, there was a second assailant there as well; someone with pinpoint accuracy."

"So we're looking at another player in this game," Maria said, connecting the dots.

"That's…not everything," Bogo continued. "Officers Wilde and Hopps traced the Night Howler imports to an underground black market that was connected to every area in this city. It was located in the abandoned Wilde Times amusement park. My officers recently raided the place, but someone must have tipped them off. No criminals. No contraband. Nothing. The security room was trashed as well."

"You don't think we drove them off."

The buffalo shook his head. "More than likely, they relocated. My officers did acquire an order receipt from one of the Night Howler cases, though. It was signed by Matthew Pumanak."

The mayor leaned forward and placed her hands on the edge of her desk. "What? That doesn't make any sense. He knows those flowers are illegal."

"He runs a chemical company. I'm sure recreating the serum wouldn't be hard for him."

"But he has no reason to attack Officers Wilde and Hopps!"

"He might create the serum and sell it back to criminals in the black market. It is a possibility that these two cases are separate," Bogo said. "We can't arrest him yet. We need more evidence. A simple signature is all we can go off of at this point, and those can be forged. If we question him, that might put him on guard if he is responsible for making the serum. We can't touch him right now."

The mayor groaned and leaned back in her chair. "If one of my best supporters is partaking in illegal activities, this will undermine my entire interspecies agenda. I want you to continue to keep me in the loop, Chief."

The water buffalo nodded.

* * *

*With Matthew Pumanak and Michael Pantherson, in the city hall lobby, five minutes earlier*

"You were quite harsh up there, Michael," The puma hummed, stepping out of the elevator. "Something troubling you? Have things been rocky at work?"

"Work's been fine, but according to some business magazines yours is doing a little shaky. Care to reconsider my offer?" Michael deadpanned, eyeing the animal next to him.

Matthew stopped and turned to his political comrade. "I have to waste precious air to answer a question you already know the answer to? Let me make this clear, Michael…I am not letting you buy out my company. We're just in a bit of a rough patch right now. Something you should understand quite well, if I recall."

"Well, it seems that patch follow you back home as well," Michael muttered, obviously peeved at the subtle jab.

"And how would you know that?" Matthew frowned, folding his arms.

"I like to gather info on everyone. You…do know my reputation, right?" The panther said, giving a wry grin—something that Matthew hadn't seen before.

"We may agree on this interspecies issue, but I wouldn't make an enemy out of me, Michael," The puma threatened, pointing a finger underneath the mammal's chin. "I think you may underestimate me."

"And vice versa. I wouldn't worry too much about what I say, Matthew. Us CEO's tend to say whatever is necessary to gain the upper hand."

With that, the panther patted the cat on the shoulder and walked out of the building. Watching his unconventional ally leave, Matthew's frown deepened as he pulled out his cell phone and made a call.

Several feet in front of him, Michael Pantherson did the same.

* * *

*With Judy, after work*

"So how come you never invite me over to your place for dinner?" Nick asked as the two walked out of the ZPD in their civilian outfits.

The setting afternoon sun streaked across the horizon and broke through the slits of the towering skyscrapers in the distance. Around them, the smell of soups, fruits, vegetables and artificial meats wafted in the air as restaurants prepared for the dinner rush. Car horns and street vendors echoed throughout the street as workers began to clock out for the day.

"Because my apartment is about the size of your bathroom, Slick," The rabbit giggled. "It's not much to go off of. Besides, I don't think you'd wanna listen to my noisy neighbors."

"Between Bogo's yelling and Clawhauser's squealing over Gazelle, I think I can manage a few loud neighbors."

"Well then," Judy exclaimed, bouncing in front of her foxy friend. "Let's test that. You come over to my place tonight for dinner. See just how bad it is."

Nick smirked and bent over so their noses were almost touching. "Chef Hopps wants me over for dinner? I'll be there. Just don't slip any carrots in my food."

The rabbit quietly gulped and took a step back, tugging on her ears to hide her blush. "W-Well I only know how to cook so many dishes, and most of them have carrots in them."

The fox rolled his eyes and grinned. "It was a joke, Carrots. If you're making it I'm sure I'll like it."

Officer Hopps smiled, making Nick's heart do cartwheels. "Does seven sound good?"

The orange mammal thoughtfully tapped his chin and shook his head after a moment. "Nah. Can't do seven. Seven-o-one sounds better."

"You're such a stinker!" Judy giggled.

"But ya love me for it."

The rabbit's smile got wider as she backed away from her partner. "Seven it is."

* * *

*With Nick, outside Judy's apartment door, at seven-o-one*

The ex-con knocked on the door to his crush's apartment and straightened up. He ran his right paw down his flannel shirt, smoothing out any wrinkles and patted the pocket of his blue jeans to make sure his keys and phone were still there. Using the same paw, he breathed into his palm and took a whiff, satisfied with how his breath smelled. In his left paw he held a bouquet of red and white roses that he picked up from the Ottertons on the way over.

From inside the apartment, Nick could here the thumping of feet moving towards the door.

"Seven-o-one on the dot? I thought you were joking! I should—" Judy griped as she opened the door. "Oh! Flowers!"

She reached out and took them from his grasp, inhaling the sweet scent of the roses before smiling at him.

"All is forgiven," She hummed as she skipped over to put them in a vase. "Nicholas Wilde, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to court me.'

While the fox could tell she as just trying to get his goat, relatively speaking, it didn't stop the sudden thump his heart made when she made the remark.

"Well, what can I say? We Wilde's are known to be the kings and queens of smooth."

Judy laughed. "Is that so? Mrs. Tigre would say otherwise. So would Chief Bogo. I think Mr. Big would have to disagree as well…"

Nick raised his arms in defeat. "If I wanted to hear a bunch of grief, I would've hung out with Finnick tonight."

"Oh, sit down, Dr. Sensitive. The food's almost ready."

The fox walked over to the table and pulled up a chair, waiting for his food to arrive. The apartment was quite small, like his partner had said, and aside from a few posters and pictures that hung on the peeling gray wallpaper, the room was pretty bland. Nick could see Judy's bed off in the far corner of the room, and a few feet away were some drawers and a cabinet. To his right was a stove with a microwave above it, and to the left of that was a refrigerator with pictures of what Nick guessed to be her family taped to the doors. Behind him was Judy's desk, which had files and papers stacked off to the side.

The dinner table itself was smaller than the former con artist's, but that was probably because it was made for rabbit's and other small creatures. It would explain why the edges of his body were hanging off the sides of the chair.

Sure, he had been in her apartment a few times, but it seemed like she had rearranged some things since last time. With nothing else to do while he waited for supper, he passed the time by taking into account the new changes.

"Ok," The bunny let out a satisfactory huff, placing a plate of crickets and grasshoppers in front of him with a side of chopped carrots and broccoli.

"I'm shocked, Carrots!" Nick said, looking at the plate. "I thought you hated the smell of cooked insects.

He heard her clear her throat next to him and looked over to see a wooden clip over her nose. The cop puffed his cheeks and snorted as he tried to contain his laughter at the ridiculous yet slightly cute sight. Judy scrunched up her nose as it twitched in embarrassment before placing her salad on the opposite side of the table. While Nick regained his composure, she poured him some water and some carrot juice for herself.

"Oh, come on, Fluff!" Nick snickered. "Who's being sensitive now?"

"Well considering cooking insects smells like you on mornings when you don't shower…"

Judy's sly smirk filled him with determination to not let her get the better of him. "Or you after your early morning runs."

The rabbit stabbed her salad with her fork and took a bite, keeping her smile. "At least I work out."

Nick took a long sip of water before flashing a cocky grin at his dumb bunny. "With a figure like mine, I don't need to work out."

"Says the fox who's exhausted after walking up two flights of stairs," Judy teased, leaning forward and placing her chin in her hands. "Admit it, Sly. You need to work out more."

"Lifting weights isn't my thing, though," Officer Wilde replied, spooning some crickets into his mouth. "What's the deal, Judy? Don't you think I look good enough as it is?"

"And how am I supposed to answer that?"

"Uh…Truthfully?" Nick said with a wink.

The rabbit's cheeks heated up as she downed the rest of her carrot juice. "How about no response at all."

"Same as a 'yes'."

"Regardless!" The bunny exclaimed, wanting to change the subject before she melted into a puddle of goo. "You need a way to exercise…And I think I have an idea."

The fox leaned forward and eyed his bunny with a raised eyebrow. "Being…?"

* * *

*The next morning, in Sahara Square, one hour before work starts*

Judy leaned against a street light and finished off her water, breathing heavily as the morning breeze dried the sweat from her shirt and pants. The rays of morning light cast a beautiful glow on the streets below. The sizzle of artificial hot dogs wafted from the street vendors as people started making their way to work. Car horns, screeching tires and idle conversations filled the air…along with a wail of agony.

Thirty feet in front of her, Nick Wilde dragged his limp torso along a brick building, using it as support to keep his jelly legs from giving out from under him. Her idea last night had been to have her fox join her on her usual morning run. Nothing demanding, really. Just an uneventful ten-mile jog around the city with no breaks.

"SADIST!" Nick cried, pointing at the smirking rabbit.

The bunny rolled her eyes and strolled up to the ex-con, handing him some water. He flipped off the lid and poured most of the bottle down his throat and then using the rest to pour over his head.

"Oh, sweet nectar of the gods…" He murmured.

"You're such a weenie," Judy giggled. "Remember, this is to get you in better shape."

"I'd rather die."

"Let's head over to HQ so we can shower and get changed, jelly head," Officer Hopps joked, pulling Nick onto her and placing his arm around her shoulder so he could walk more easily.

While Nick normally would've been embarrassed, he was far too tired to let the fact that she was so close to him bother him. Judy, however, was quite aware of the small distance between the two of them; his musk was radiating off of him, which wasn't a bad smell at all. It drowned out the stinging scent of his sweat.

"Smells like cooked insects," She commented.

"Oh, shut up."

 **badoutro .docx**

 **IF YOU'RE SEEING THIS A SECOND TIME IT'S BECAUSE FANFICTION DOESN'T WANNA SHOW THAT MY STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED LOL GOOD TIMES M9**

 **More to come…**


	18. Shower Thoughts

**Greetings and salutations, my fellow peers! You might be thinking "Wow. He's been gone for so long. I completely forgot about this story while he was sitting around with his thumb up his—"**

 **But that's not true! I've actually created four different versions of this chapter because I wanted to get it just right! However, I scrapped all of those because I didn't like the way they came out. So, for the longest time, I've had to deal with some**

 **SEVERE**

 **WRITER'S**

 **BLOCK**

 **But like a phoenix from the ashes or a 40 year old from his parents basement, I emerge. So, I present to you the next chapter.**

Nick could already see what kind of day this was going to be. Not only was the morning run torture enough, but now he smelled like a moldy trash heap. As he and Judy strolled into the ZPD building, the sight of Clawhauser pinching his nose and recoiling in his chair greeted him.

"Have mercy on my fragile ego, Spots," The fox stated, picking up on Judy's snort as she murmured 'fragile' under her breath.

"What were you doing this morning that made you smell like…this?" The secretary inquired, fanning a magazine in front of his face.

Judy placed her paws on her hips. "I brought him along for my morning run. He needs to get in better shape, considering I was able to outrun him when we chased down Wolfang."

Clawhauser turned to Nick. "She makes a point."

Office Wilde raised an eyebrow. "Agree with me or I won't buy you anymore doughnuts, Ben."

Clawhauser turned to Judy. "He makes a point."

The bunny stuck her tongue out playfully before pushing Nick towards the changing rooms. She noticed some of her coworkers eyeballing her as she moved towards the showers with Nick in tow and overheard whispers about his…odor. He must have picked up on it as well, because his eyelids drooped and his ears went back behind his head.

"This. Was not. A. Good. Idea," He muttered to himself.

"Oh, hush. They said the same thing about me at first. They'll get used to it," The bunny whispered sympathetically. "Now, you go shower and we'll meet up in the briefing room for today's assignments."

The fox nodded as he walked through the men's room doors and stripped down. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into the shower area, where steam filled the room. He managed to borrow some soap and shampoo from the other officers and made a mental note that if he ever did something like this again, he should pack his own.

As he lathered the shampoo in his scalp, a large tiger walked up beside him.

"Awfully sweaty this morning, Nick."

"One more word, Delgato…" The fox replied in a half-serious and half-joking tone.

The officer laughed and got underway with his bathing as well. A few minutes of silence passed, with the only sound being that of water running and the hiss of the steam.

"Terrible, what happened to Fangmeyer…" Delgato sighed.

"What's that?"

"Ya didn't hear? Some goons grabbed him while he was on duty. Ambushed him and dragged him off in a van. Clarice has been beating herself up over it."

The fox was stunned into silence for a few moments before speaking once more. "It's gotta be tied to the attacks on the ZPD. The ambush in Tundra Town, the hacks…All of it."

"Ya think?"

"Two guys were there when we were attacked in Tundra Town. We arrested one of them—the same guy who set fire to Bogo's car, but he said he was hired and was promised revenge on Judy for having a hand in his last job being shut down."

The tiger held up a paw. "Wait, so why would he go after Chief if he hates Judy?"

Nick shut off the water and ran his fingers through this hair. "The hack on the ZPD affects all of the officers as well, but it also makes Bogo look bad. That along with having Wolfang set fire to his car…The second guy has a grudge against the Chief!"

Delgato folded his arms. "So why shoot you with a Night Howler pellet then?"

"Makes Bogo look bad for not taking care of his officers."

The tiger shook his head. "But if they have a grudge against him, why wouldn't they wait until he walked out of the building and shoot him instead? Why shoot you?"

Nick leaned against the wall and scratched his head. "Second guy who attacked us in Tundra Town had a sniper rifle…accuracy good enough to shoot my dart gun out of my hand…sniper who made me turn savage. Both instances have a sniper firing at me with Night Howler pellets."

"So, there might be a third guy who has beef with you," The officer suggested. "Either that or the same guy that hates Chief hates you as well."

The fox raised his eyebrows and flashed finger guns at his coworker. "Made some headway in this case. Thanks, man."

"Hey, best thoughts are usually made in the shower," Delgato chuckled, giving Officer Wilde a fist bump.

* * *

*Twenty minutes later, in the briefing room*

Judy rested her head on her hand and processed what Nick had relayed to her from his talk with Officer Delgato. It seemed plausible that there was a third criminal that was after them, and while she didn't like the idea, she needed to consider every angle.

"Alright, so we know for certain that the other mammal hates Chief and maybe you as well. Either that or we've got a third guy to deal with who's got it in for you," She thought aloud. "Let's check the past case files that the Chief has had a part in and make a list of suspects from that. I'll do that while you make a list of everyone who might want to hurt you, Nick."

The fox pursed his lips together and hung his arms out to the side. "We'd be here all day. Heck, even I forget some of the mammals I've upset during my con days."

The rabbit nodded, thought for a moment and then perked up. "Well, there is one suspect we can start with."

* * *

*Two hours later, in a ZPD interrogation room*

"You really suck, ya know that?" Brianna Tigre huffed, leaning back in the chair she was in. "You had to do the 'easy way or hard way' schtick with me? Does that fill ya with power, Nicky?"

The fox with grinding his teeth together in agitation. The last thing he and Judy wanted to do was speak to the deer again, but when it came to a list of those who had a grudge against Nick, she was at the top of the list.

"We just wanted to ask you some questions," Judy insisted politely. "It's just easier to do this here."

"Like I'll answer anything _he_ asks me," The former arsonist spat, motioning her chin in the direction of the fox.

Officer Hopps looked at the deer with an unamused expression before turning to Nick and whispering, "I think it'd be better if you waited outside."

Nick sighed, stood up, and walked out of the room. He made his way over to the one-way mirror where Bengalio Tigre was watching. The two said nothing to each other for a bit before Brianna's husband broke the silence.

"I don't think this is necessary. She hasn't done anything wrong," He stated.

"We're just gonna do a polygraph test to make sure. Somebody's out to get me and when it comes to mammals who hate me, well…" Nick replied.

"I suppose. It's just inconvenient."

At that moment, Officer Delgato walked down the hallway with the polygraph machine. He gave the fox a brief smile and Bengalio a courteous nod before walking in and setting things up.

"Alright, let's begin. Please answer each question with either a 'yes' or 'no' response," Judy stated. "Is your name Brianna Hindel Tigre?"

"Yes."

"Have you been convicted of any crimes in the past?"

"Yes."

"Was the previous crime arson?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a history with Officer Nicholas Wilde?"

"Yes."

"Did Officer Wilde have a hand in your arrest?"

"Yes."

"Would it be fair to say that you strongly dislike Officer Nicholas Wilde?"

"Yes."

"If given the chance, would you get even with Officer Wilde?"

"No."

Judy glanced at the deer and then checked the machine. Everything read as normal.

"Have you ever committed a crime following your release from prison?"

"No."

She was telling the truth, according to the machine.

"Have you ever handled a gun before, Mrs. Tigre?"

"No."

Normal readings.

"Have you ever tried to hack anything or participated in any kidnappings?"

"No."

Bengalio huffed. "What kind of questions are these? Does this have something to do with that officer that got taken?"

"Police business, can't say," Nick replied.

The tiger shook his head. "Well, is it almost over? I apologize if I seem peeved, but I had to leave in the middle of my shift to be here for her. My boss doesn't like it when employees leave early."

"Is he related to our Chief? Maybe they were separated at birth…" Wilde snorted.

"No, no," Bengalio bummed. "I work for Mr. Pumanak of Puma Power Chemicals."

The fox sharply inhaled but kept his face stoic. "Really? Whaddya do that's so demanding of your presence?"

The hulking mammal turned away from the ongoing interrogation of his wife and looked directly at Nick, smirking. "I'm the head of security. I monitor the cameras, make sure the firewalls are up to date, make sure there are no viruses or bugs in or systems—stuff like that. Don't want any troublemakers tampering with our mixing machines. That would prove…problematic."

Nick glanced at the tiger and then back at the room, seeing that Judy had just finished up and was thanking Brianna for her time.

"Well, I believe our time here is over. If you'll excuse me, I'll be seeing my wife out and then heading back to work," Bengalio stated, shaking Nick's paw. "Again, sorry for being a bit miffed at the whole thing. It's been quite a taxing few days. If there's anything else we can do to help the investigation, give me a call."

Once the Mrs. Tigre and Officer Hopps walked out of the room, the feline wrapped his arm around her shoulder and began guiding her to the exit. Before walking through the door and exiting the building with her husband, Brianna turned back to Nick and gave him a look like she wanted to make him into a nice hat. Judy received the results of the polygraph from Officer Delgato and thanked him before he carried the machine through the door and disappeared as well.

"Nothing," She sighed. "Everything seemed normal. Either she's really good at lying or she's telling the truth. Looks like we've hit a dead end here."

"Tut, tut, Fluff," Her partner clicked. "I've made some headway of my own. Turns out Bengalio works for Matthew Pumanak himself."

"What? How'd you find this out?" Judy exclaimed.

"He mentioned it when we were talking out here. He's the head of security."

"Then we might be able to see the footage of the building and find out where those Night Howlers are going! Great job, Slick!" The rabbit cheered. "And here I thought you were scared of him."

The former con artist scoffed. "Me? Scared of a soft-spoken guy like that? Please…"

"Is that why your eyes darted to the left when you said that?"

"Huh?"

"It's a telltale sign that you're lying, dumb fox," Judy teased, giving him a warm yet smug smile as she walked passed him. "Come on, let's start sifting through some old case files that Chief had a hand in."

* * *

*Three and a half hours later, at Judy and Nick's respective desks*

"Good thing Bogo's such a freak about keeping hard copies of old case files," Nick muttered, placing the seventy-sixth case file on the side of his desk.

"Are you _trying_ to get strung up the flagpole outside?" The bunny hissed.

Nick looked up and smirked. "I speak my mind. I think that's why he likes me so much."

"Like or loathe…"

"You'll see, Cottontail. I'll be invited to their New Year's party this year. I really think the Chief feels something when I'm around him."

The sound of a throat being cleared behind him made Nick jump out of his seat slightly and whirl around, finding said water buffalo standing right behind him.

"The only feeling I get around you, Officer Wilde, is that of a headache," Bogo grunted, placing one paw on the back of the fox's chair and the other on his desk. "What are you two up to currently? Our top priority should be finding Officer Fangmeyer."

"Uh, Chief?" Judy called, drawing his gaze. "Nick and I believe that the attacks on our police force recently are connected with this kidnapping."

"If that's all you've come up with in the time you've been at your desks, Officer Hopps, my disappointment will be immeasurable, and my day will be ruined," The water buffalo snorted.

"If we ID the suspect who hacked our bank accounts, shot me and attacked us in Tundra Town, then we have a better chance of tracking them down and finding Fangmeyer," Nick added with a toothy smile. "The other guy clearly has a grudge against you and maybe me as well—"

"—Understandable," Bogo interjected.

"About which part?"

"Keep. Going. Wilde," The Chief grunted.

"Well, Judy and I are going through some old case files that you were involved in. Maybe there's a disgruntled criminal in there who just got released and is our for revenge…Sounds like a hokey TV show episode when ya say it like that, I just realized," The fox finished.

Their Chief straightened up and looked at the piles of folders on both of their desks. Judy had almost gone through all of hers while Nick was about two thirds of the way through his.

"Could I see my first case file, Officer Wilde?" He stated.

Nick dug through the pile and found it, handing it over to his boss. "Haven't gotten to it yet, but I'm ge—"

"—Thanks," The buffalo said, cutting him off. "As you were."

With that, Bogo walked away from their desk, whispered something to Clawhauser, who nodded in response, up the stairs and into his office, shutting the door behind him. Judy and Nick exchanged unsure glances at each other.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" She asked.

"That I'm not getting invited to that New Year's party?" Nick replied.

"Something important is in that file that he doesn't want us to see," Officer Hopps stated. "And if it pertains to solving this case, we need to find out what it is."

* * *

*With Chief Bogo*

The water buffalo sat behind his desk and sighed, placing the folder in front of him and slowly opening it. The first things to meet his gaze were two photos: one of a man and one of a young boy. They were attached to the case report by paperclip.

Bogo brushed the document and the photos aside and looked at the next page. It was a continuation of the first page of the report, and this one had a two pictures: one of the Zootopian Loading Docks and one of a tranquilizer gun. The Chief shook his head and moved that piece of paper aside as well. A few newspaper clippings were the last bits of information inside the folder. One contained the statement of his commanding officer under the bold title that read "Police Raid on the Docks."

This was Bogo's first case, and it was the only case he wished he could forget about.

Placing the folder in his bottom drawer, he closed it up and took out a keychain from his pocket. Flipping to a gold plated one, he inserted the key into the lock and turned it. He hoped this incident wouldn't come back to bite him, and there was a good chance this case and his first one weren't related, but he didn't want to take the chance. Not many knew about what happened that day, and he didn't want anyone else to find out about it either.

Not even Officers Hopps and Wilde.

 **Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

 **Ain't that a thinker, huh? What's Bogo got that he wants to keep hidden? Hmm.**

 **Well I can promise you that I won't vanish for as long as I did this time, but I'm not gonna be able to crank these out every day...every other day...maybe every week...**

 **But I won't let this story die anymore than it already has!**

 **More to come...**


End file.
